Reflections on 2020

16th December 2020

Written by Danielle Morley, CEO, Bonsucro

This year has been tumultuous. Forest fires, hurricanes, social movements and COVID-19 have brought about irrevocable change. These events also signal the importance of accelerating our journey towards sustainability and more responsible business.

Our members responded to the Covid pandemic crisis with resilience, and the Bonsucro Production Standard has been used as a framework for enhanced protocols to protect health and safety of sugarcane workers and their communities.

Sugarcane mills had to cope with sudden increased demand for ethanol and rose to the challenge. Many of our members donated ethanol to local governments and hospitals to help prevent the spread of the disease.

This has been a testing year for all of us. I am proud of our team and the dedication and adaptability they have shown. Working remotely, we developed innovative new partnerships and delivered impact projects in key origins.  We recruited new members and supported other members to secure certifications and make product claims.

We were delighted with the uptake of credit trading on the digital platform.  More organisations have used the platform to buy and sell Bonsucro credits.

We launched our new Code of Conduct and Grievance Mechanism, and made huge progress on the revision of the Bonsucro Production Standard , thanks to a dedicated working group and highly engaged membership.

We are in the middle of developing a new five-year strategic plan, ready to launch in the first quarter of 2021.  I want to ensure Bonsucro has ambitious new targets, and remains a sector leader.

I’d like to thank our members, partners and the wider community. You have been a great support to Bonsucro this year and your commitments make a real impact to our organisation, as well as in countless  sugarcane fields, mills and communities. I’m looking forward to being able to see you  again in the near future.

I have no doubt that 2021 and the coming years will continue to challenge us, on many fronts. But I know that the Bonsucro community will continue to rise to those challenges with determination and optimism.

Wishing you all a happy holiday and peaceful new year.