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The Better Sugarcane Initiative – Impacts and Benefits on the Global Sugarcane Industry

The Better Sugarcane Initiative – Impacts and Benefits on the Global Sugarcane Industry. R Quirk, H Morar, R Perkins, G Kingston, W Burnquist. Why Sugarcane. Better Sugarcane or Better Sugar? The crop has the impact not the products Why the focus on Cane? cane is bigger than beet

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The Better Sugarcane Initiative – Impacts and Benefits on the Global Sugarcane Industry

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  1. The Better Sugarcane Initiative – Impacts and Benefits on the Global Sugarcane Industry R Quirk, H Morar, R Perkins, G Kingston, W Burnquist

  2. Why Sugarcane Better Sugarcane or Better Sugar? The crop has the impact not the products Why the focus on Cane? • cane is bigger than beet • beet faced uncertainty during BSI set-up • concentrate resources for higher impact Best or Better Management? Constantimprovement makes what is now the best obsolete in the future

  3. History of BSI • June 2005 – better sugar: better business meeting agreed key impacts • July 2005 to January 2006 – aims and objectives agreed by e-mail • January 2006 – Interim Steering Group agreed structure and governance • Jan 2006 to present - Steering Group develops the initiative • Communication brief developed and circulated in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese

  4. Other Commodity Round Tables • Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) • Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) • Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (www.rspo.org) • Round Table on Responsible Soy • Better Cotton Initiative • Shrimp and Salmon aquaculture initiatives

  5. What BSI will do • Reduce, measurably, the most significant social and environment impacts • Identify both on-farm and regional impacts • Focus on 5-10 biggest impacts, not laundry lists

  6. What BSI will do • Identify a range of better management practices (BMPs) for different scale producers • Analyze the economics of BMPs - most pay for themselves in 2-3 years • Multi-stakeholder, transparent process to agree: • The most significant impacts • Acceptable, measurable goals

  7. Preparation and Planting – Research • Minimum Till • Chemical weed control • Direct drilled break crops • Mounded rows • Controlled traffic • Wider multiple rows • Direct drilled, mechanical cane planting

  8. Growing the Plant Crop – Research • Zero Till • Inter Row chemical weed control • Split stool fertilizer application

  9. Ratooning – Research • Inter row chemical weed control • Split stool fertilizer application

  10. BSI structure • Multi-stakeholder forum • Feedback, final sign-off on stds • <100 institutions & experts • Annual regional meetings • Secretariat • Day-to-day running • Paid Co-ordinator • 0.5 FTE Technical help • Steering Committee • Drives process • 5 members (+4 open) • Chairman • Technicalworkinggroups • Propose draft standards • Paid leader + seconder • Consult growing regions Cane production Cane processing + co-products Social / community

  11. BSI Steering Committee • Committee members on 24 Nov 2006 • Robert Quirk, canegrower (chairman) • Jason Clay, environment NGO • Olivier Geneviève, social NGO • Hari Morar, miller/refiner • Harry Ott, soft drinks company • Seeking ACP, Brazilian, biofuel and banker representatives on Steering Committee and others

  12. Voluntary standards BSI communication 17 February 2006: “Participants reconfirmed that the social and environmental standards that are eventually adopted will be voluntary”

  13. Developing and usingstandards • The private sector needs to be transparently engaged in defining goals (eg. NSW Sugar’s Self Regulation) • Adoption of goals by industry should preclude the necessity of Government intervention and regulation

  14. Consultation BSI: • agrees that wide consultation and participatory approach are needed • will work with all who share its aims and objectives

  15. Social standards BSI: • Agrees that social goals will not be easy to set • Will remain aware of ILO processes • Will set up a Social and Community Technical Working Group (TWG)

  16. Goals & Implementation • All BSI members will decide on achievable goals • Goals achieved by BMPs can be used as screens for investors, buyers or insurers to make commodity production more sustainable • The market will decide uptake, not BSI.

  17. Next steps • www.bettersugarcane.org • BSI meeting in January 2007 in London • 3-4 places available for potential Steering Committee members • Recruit Steering and other members • Raise funds and in-kind contributions • Consult on Technical Working Groups • Participate in ISSCT 2007

  18. And over time… • Set up BSI as an independent organisation • Consult iteratively on standards • Propose draft standards in 2008 • Could be adopted by biofuels buyers

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