EU RECOGNITION ‘A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE FOR THE IMPORT OF SUSTAINABLE ETHANOL’, SAYS BONSUCRO
Published: 07/28/2011, 2:11:29 PM
The European Commission has today (Tuesday 19th July, 2011) announced that Bonsucro's certification scheme, used to certify the sustainable production of sugarcane, has been formally recognised by the European Union. Bonsucro certified ethanol, which demonstrates compliance with requirements of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and the EU Fuels Quality Directive (FQD), will count for the national targets 27 EU Member States have to reach by 2020, under the RED.
Commenting on the developments, World Wildlife Fund's, Kevin Ogorzalek, Bonsucro Chairman, said:
"Bonsucro® EU certification will not only show compliance with the Union's sustainability rules, but also guarantees environmental and social performance criteria that exceed EU requirements. Sugarcane ethanol is a clean and renewable fuel that reduces GHG emissions by more than 70% according to the EU legislation. It will help the EU to meet its 2020 environmental target by reducing Europe's carbon footprint in the transport sector while improving energy security."
"EU recognition is a big milestone for the social and environmental sustainability of sugarcane biofuels imported into Europe. It will enable our members to demonstrate their commitment to continuous improvement while giving customers confidence that their biofuel products have been produced sustainably."
Bonsucro's Production Standard is the world's first-impact based Standard, it specifically addresses; legal compliance, biodiversity and ecosystem services, labour standards, and continuous improvement throughout the production process. This is assessed against key indicators, such as energy consumption, land use, greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption. The Bonsucro® EU Production Standard effectively addresses the real-on-the-ground challenges.
"The Standard is the conclusion of more than five years of collaboration between the world's biggest sugarcane producers, corporations and influential NGOs. This robust system positions the Bonsucro® Certification System at the forefront of global sustainability metrics and provides a system against which the sustainability of sugarcane derived products can be verified by consumers, companies, governments and NGOs," said Bonsucro Chairman , Kevin Ogorzalek.
In June, Bonsucro® announced that the world's first impact based Standard had been used to certify the sustainable production of sugarcane. The sugarcane was produced at a Raízen mill in Sao Paulo, Brazil.