The beginning 3 of the Bonsucro Production standard in the version 5.1 is “Manage input, production and processing efficiencies to improve sustainability”. If continued reading the most recent Pattern, it can be seen that the criterion 3.1 remained similar, consists of “monitoring the efficiency of the production and process, measuring the impacts of production and processing for improvements over time”. It is noteworthy that the Principle 3 in the previous version is “manage the inputs, production and processing efficiency to ensure sustainability”. Thus, another example that the purpose remains the same, However, certain indicators were added.
In both versions, the indicator is observed as the production yield, which aims to maximize the yield considering the climatic conditions in which the sugarcane is grown. The indicator was developed through the observation of the sugarcane production ratios for the consumption of water obtained by the 50% of producers with the best performance in each climate zone for dry and irrigated cane separately. as mentioned, some new indicators were added in the criteria 3.1, as the theoretical recoverable cane sugar content (default is >10%), o Total content of fermentable sugars in cane, expressed as inverted (TSAI), with pattern > 120Kg/t cane and Efficiency of harvesting operations (standards < 16 for machine harvesting, < 24 manual green harvest, < 48 burnt cane harvest).
Bonsucro Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Calculator
in the criterion 3.2 Patterns are also similar, seeking to monitor greenhouse gas emissions in order to minimize impacts on climate change. The objective is to estimate greenhouse gas emissions (GEE) with the sugarcane growing and processing process. This is a calculation that covers both the field and the plant., based on the Life Cycle Assessment of the process. The global warming burden is expressed as the net equivalent of carbon dioxide emission in relation to the amount of cane produced., the amount of sugar produced, or the energy content of ethanol. The implementation consists of collecting the necessary input data for the calculation as listed in the Bonsucro Calculator. A detailed description of what is involved in the calculation is given by the same calculator. To calculate GHG emissions, the Bonsucro Calculator uses a series of standard conversion factors applied to convert energy use into GHG emissions expressed in CO2 equivalent.
The data that exert the most substantial influence on the calculation of GHG emissions are:
✓ Energy export and import;
✓ Sugarcane yield and factory recovery;
✓ Quantity of fertilizer and chemical inputs, particularly the N fertilizer;
✓ The extent of sugarcane burning;
✓ The quantities of any supplemental fuels purchased;
✓ Energy input for irrigation;
✓ Cane transport distances.
In addition to GHG emissions, the Bonsucro calculator allows the calculation of other indicators. Bonsucro indicators are calculated on different pages for the principles 1, 2, 3, 4 e 5, and separated between requirements of the agricultural and industrial area.
To correctly follow the requirements of the Bonsucro Production Standard, regarding Bonsucro calculator, the company must enter its data in a spreadsheet. The data refer to agriculture, cane transport, grinding and processing, water use, between others.
Work carried out by biO3
Thereby, it is worth highlighting the work carried out by biO3 for/with socio-environmental certifications. In this case, biO3 provides the necessary support to companies interested in following certification, committing from the training and explanation of the whole process, until (as in the example cited) entering company data into the calculator, continuing the work of such calculation, following the objective of the certifications, to communicate to stakeholders that the organization follows good practices, either to demonstrate its way of being internally in the organization or externally to society in general.
To learn more about the Bonsucro platform, your Production Pattern and the Bonsucro calculator, access here.
This is original BiO3 content. To find out more about the Bonsucro Standard updates and the work done by biO3, like where and how we act, access here. For questions or suggestions, contact us.