Azucarera receives Bonsucro Chain of Custody certification

21st January 2020

The Spanish business, AB Azucarera Iberia, or Azucarera, is the latest organisation to achieve a Bonsucro Chain of Custody Standard certification.

The Chain of Custody Standard ensures that sustainability claims along the sugarcane supply chain are traceable from farmer to end user. Azucarera is the 50th organisation to receive a certificate since 2011.

Azucarera is the Spanish business of AB Sugar Group – which operates across three continents. The Group wants to ensure its different businesses are growing, sourcing sustainable crops and producing sugar products that are traceable, safe and of high quality. As a result, it closely engages with different stakeholders across the whole supply chain. It also seeks to constantly adapt and evolve its approach to sustainability across all its operations.

Azucarera’s success in achieving a Bonsucro certificate comes from a big team effort that was triggered by the company’s directors. During the different working phases, teams of people from different areas of the business contributed – from procurement to quality and from IT to finance.

Making changes

Bonsucro’s revised Chain of Custody Standard was considered a top source of information and allowed people to understand how the standard functions and the critical points required to maintain it. As such, Azucarera created several operative changes and implemented new procedures.

Azucarera has been working towards the certification since 2014. During the process, the team has reported a shift in internal “sensitivity towards the importance of the supply chain requirements and compliance.”

As the Bonsucro standards are widely recognised, Carlos J. Fernández, Commercial Director at Azucarera said, “We are fully confident that this will mean a clear competitive advantage for Azucarera.” He went on to say that he expects to see the benefits of the certification very quickly.

Future expectations

Azucarera has just started on this journey and Inés Agar, International Trade Specialist and Head of the Bonsucro Project, is sure that “difficulties and opportunities will come in the future.” However, the team is “keen to start moving forward” and know that their clients are keen to comply.

Looking ahead, Azucarera would like to keep working and demonstrating the same level of commitment with the sugarcane community, performance improvement and performance verification.

Is your company interested in Bonsucro Chain of Custody certification? Find out more here.