Bacardi, Nonprofit Working Towards 100% Sugarcane Supply Chain Sustainability

by Mike Hower

Bacardi is working with global nonprofit Bonsucro to foster sustainability in the sugarcane sector as part of its effort to make good on its promise of obtaining 40 percent of the sugarcane-derived products used to make its rums from certified, sustainable sources by 2017 and 100 percent by 2022.

Bacardi says this means acquiring all raw materials and packaging from sustainably sourced, renewable or recycled materials, while maintaining or enhancing the economic status of growers and suppliers.

The nonprofit, Bonsucro, has developed a metric-based sustainability standard and certification process for the sugarcane industry. The organization, which Bacardi helped found, helps to improve economic, environmental and social conditions in the regions around the world where sugarcane is produced.

Farmers, millers and end-users of sugarcane must meet rigorous requirements to be verified as sustainable by Bonsucro. After they become members, they work collaboratively to increase sustainability in the supply chain.

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Mike Hower is a writer, thinker, and strategic communicator most interested in the intersection of sustainable business and policy. Currently based in Washington, D.C., he is a graduate research fellow at George Washington University, where he is pursuing a masters… [Read more about Mike Hower]