Sustainability auditing for Brazilian bioethanol

We are undertaking an extensive programme of audits in Brazil to understand the environmental and social performance of our bioethanol suppliers. Most (typically more than 80%) of the bioethanol we supply in the UK is derived from Brazilian sugar cane.

The audits assess the performance of suppliers against a set of industry-leading environmental and social criteria. These criteria were developed for Greenergy specifically to meet the requirements of the UK’s Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) and have been approved by the Government’s Renewable Fuels Agency as meeting the RTFO meta-standard. The Government’s Renewable Fuels Agency has described this as a “gold standard for sustainable biofuel.”

We are the first and only company to have supplied biofuel meeting this “gold” social sustainability standard.

A case study for one of our larger suppliers, available for download below, sets out in detail the areas covered by the audits.

We are proud that by working with our agricultural suppliers in the field and in the mill, we are encouraging the adoption of exemplary standards of practice. Our work is also contributing more widely to the development and use of sustainability standards for sugar. This is a real force for change.

>> More information about the development of the criteria.
>> Download the full criteria.