Bonsucro is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to reducing the environmental and social impacts of sugar cane production. The Bonsucro Standard defines a set of globally applicable principles, criteria and indicators for sugar cane production. It aims to reduce the impact of sugar cane production on the environment in measurable ways, and contribute to social and economic benefits for all concerned with the sugar supply chain.
Find out more about Bonsucro at - https://bonsucro.com/
ISEAL Code Compliant designates members who have successfully undergone independent evaluations against the ISEAL Codes of Good Practice in Standards-Setting, Assurance and Impacts.
The ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Sustainability Systems (‘the ISEAL Code’) v1.0 became effective as of 1 March 2024. There is an 18-month transition period of ISEAL Code Compliant organisations to align their systems to the ISEAL Code.
During the transition period, no independent evaluations against the Standard-Setting, Impacts, or Assurance Codes are conducted, but Code Compliant organisations will engage in compliance activities and are expected to align their systems with the ISEAL Code. Independent evaluations against the scope of the ISEAL Code are anticipated from Q4 2025. Information on the transition period is publicly available on the ISEAL Code of Good Practice revision and integration page.
As a result of this independent evaluation, Bonsucro has made the following improvements to how they set their standards:
-
Updated the Bonsucro Standard Development and Revision Procedure to define clearer actions and responsibilities for engaging stakeholders, recording their input, and using this input as part of the standard review process.
-
Established a Queries Management System (QMS) which records information about the concerned stakeholder, the stakeholder's inquiry or comment, and Bonsucro's response.
As a result of this independent evaluation, Bonsucro made the following improvements to their assurance system:
-
Reviewed the risk register and amend the guidelines to require a six-monthly review of the risk register.
-
Updated the Systems Review Procedure to require an annual management review.
-
Published the Data Governance Policy and trained Bonsucro employees regarding the new policy.
As a result of this independent evaluation, Bonsucro made the following improvements to their M&E system:
-
Generated a more detailed results chains within their overarching Theory of Change. Indicators identified via the results chain process were incorporated into the Bonsucro Monitoring Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Framework.
-
Updated the Data Governance Policy to include details of currently-available support materials, and agreed a workplan to further develop materials where necessary.
-
Defined more clearly internal guidance and record-keeping protocols regarding outlier handling and inclusion/exclusion criteria in data analysis.
ISEAL Code Compliant members provide publicly available reports that give a comprehensive and accessible overview of a member's system.
ISEAL System Overview Bonsucro 2022