In addition, the Production Standard contains Chain of Custody requirements in Section 7. These are a set of technical and administrative requirements for enabling the tracking of claims on this sustainable production of Bonsucro sugarcane and all sugarcane derived products in the cane supply area and in the milling operations including the transport of cane to the mill. The Chain of Custody requirements contained in this Production Standard are identical to the requirements of the Bonsucro Mass Balance Chain of Custody Standard.

In order to achieve compliance with Bonsucro Standard and therefore be entitled to Bonsucro certificates, 80 % of the indicators contained in principles 1 to 5 must be satisfied and 80% of the criteria contained in the chain of custody chapter must be satisfied. In addition, there are a number of core criteria which must be fully satisfied before compliance will be considered.

The core criteria are:

Bonsucrois a collaboration of sugar retailers, investors, traders, producers and NGOs who are committed to sustainable sugar production by establishing principles and criteria that are applied in the sugarcane growing regions of the world.
Bonsucro is funded by members, among who are consumer companies (e.g. Tate & Lyle, Coca Cola, Cadbury Schweppes), commodity traders (e.g. ED & F Man, Cargill), NGOs (e.g. WWF, Solidaridad/Fairtrade), national and local producers (e.g. UNICA,EID Parry) and oil companies (e.g. Shell, BP).

Background to the Bonsucro Standard
There is an increasingly wide acceptance of the fact that all agricultural and industrial enterprises need to operate in a manner in which not just the economic but also the social and environmental factors are promoted. At the same time energy use, production efficiency, elimination of wastage and the effect on global climate change all need to be considered.
The emphasis on sustainability is growing rapidly. The sugar industry has much to gain in being involved, because the natural advantages will surely position the industry more favorably as an agro-industrial industry contributing positively to the well being of all.

JUSTIFICATION

	Approximately 18 million hectares farmed with sugarcane
	Bio Fuels production is currently 1.35 million barrels per day
	2013 there will be 1.95 million barrels produced per day
	World expansion of sugarcane is inevitable
	In 10 years another 3 - 5 million hectares could be under sugarcane
	The pressure for a system to certify that sustainable practices are being adhered to has come largely from the market place. A number of large corporate consumers of sugarcane want to be able to certify that sugarcane and other ingredients in their products are produced by means of sustainable practices. This initiative is most pronounced in the area of biofuels, where for instance the import of biofuels into Europe requires that these fuels are produced following sustainable practices.
	However it is not only the consumers that are the driver for measuring sustainability. Society at large realizes the responsibility it has to the greater welfare of the planet. Many people and organizations see sustainable development as the most significant issue facing society today.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

	Principles and Criteria are reasonable, appropriate, provide feedback and suggestions.
	Identify E&S impacts, their scope and significance
	Define ways of metrically measuring the key E&S impacts e.g. through the development of a cost effective set of indicators that will also demonstrate the result of improved practices.

 Propose a shortlist of optimal or ideal standards or measures in conformity with law and Bonsucro P&C

OBJECTIVE OF THE STANDARD
The main aim of the Bonsucro Standard is to promote measureable standards in key environmental and social impacts of sugarcane production and primary processing while recognizing the need for economic viability.
The process that has been embarked upon requires the principles to be stated and the associated criteria, which are the conditions that need to be met to adhere to the principles, to be established. The Principles and Criteria for Bonsucro have been drawn up, modified a few times and accepted by the Steering Committee. The headline Principles accepted are:

	Obey the Law
	Respect human rights and labor standards
	Manage input, production and processing efficiencies to enhance sustainability
	Actively manage biodiversity and ecosystem services
	Commit to continuous improvement in key areas of the business

SCOPE OF THE WORK
Bonsucro established three Technical Working Groups (TWGs) to identify standards or indicators that can be measured, which allow an assessment to be made of whether or not associated criteria are being met.
Expert groups cover the three areas of (1) social and labor issues, (2) processing/mill issues and (3) agronomic practices. The membership of the TWGs covers most of the important sugarcane producing areas and so many of the major players in the worldwide sugar industry are a part of the process.
A concern expressed by producers is that a need to meet standards will impose reporting and measurement demands which soak up manpower, time and money. For there to be buy-in by sugar producers, there must be some benefits in joining Bonsucro and being prepared to adopt Bonsucro Principles, Criteria and Standards. These are likely to include:

	A means of self-assessment and performance improvement measurement.
	A means of benchmarking against others.
	A way of facilitating trade.
	For industries already meeting the conditions, a leveling of the playing fields in terms of meeting environmental and labor related issues.
	Management of risk and liability
	Enhancement of brand image and reputation

In the long run it is expected that conforming to such standards will save money, as inputs such as energy and raw material are used more efficiently, losses and wastage are minimized and manpower is used more productively.

The Standard has been developed by following ISEAL’s Code of Good Practice.