[Certif-agrofuel] {Disarmed} Better Sugar Cane initiative gathering speed (?) in 2008
Nina Holland
nina at corporateeurope.org
Mon Mar 10 12:27:06 GMT 2008
FROM DAVID WILLERS, BSI PROJECT MANAGER. . . . . . . . . . Page 1
see www.bettersugarcane.org
/"It is now very clear that bio-fuels are going to be a big driver in
the push to reduce the environmental impacts of sugar cane cultivation
and processing."/
BSI is gathering speed since LowCVP (UK) is actively promoting
membership under the RTFO. Also promotion in Sweden.
ISSCT supportive of GM sugar cane, patents etc:
http://issct.intnet.mu/mangrep06.htm
David Willers who runs the BSI secretariat was formerly with SASA, the
South African Sugar Association, also involved in developing GM.
Best, Nina
Dear Members and Supporters,
As the BSI sails into January 2008, it can look forward to a very busy
year. The past six months have undeniably put BSI on the sugar
environmental map -- there was a good deal of contact with Australian,
Brazilian, South African and other sugar cane producers around the world
to alert them to the aims and objectives of the BSI -- and at the same
time we had several very useful discussions with other commodities
Roundtables. Another feature has been increased interaction with
companies and organisations involved in bio-fuels, in particular the Low
Carbon Vehicle Partnership in the UK, as well as the Bio Fuels
Roundtable in Lausanne, Switzerland. Several major fuel companies --
Shell and BP among them - attended the BSI's December meeting in London
and made a significant input. It is now very clear that bio-fuels are
going to be a big driver in the push to reduce the environmental impacts
of sugar cane cultivation and processing.
BSI steering committee meetings continued to be held on a monthly basis
during the second half of 2007, always well attended. These gatherings
were held, as is usual these days, "virtually" i.e. telephonically with
a telephone conference system for which we have the WWF office in
Washington to thank for setting up. This is a typically generous
contribution to the work of the BSI by a member who is also a donor.
Many of our members are free with their time and premises which they
offer unstintingly for nothing when meeting rooms are required.
ED & F Man provided a venue and hospitality for our very important
meeting with the International Society for Sugar Cane Technologists
(ISSCT) while Cargill sponsored an excellent dinner in London during the
ISO sugar week at which International Sugar Organisation Executive
Director Peter Baron spoke. Likewise Tate and Lyle provided a superb
venue and all refreshments for our end of year AGM. Others of our
associates have also been extremely helpful, in particular Sugaronline
who have generously allowed us to "lift" key news material on sugar
affecting the environmental discussion.
The end of 2007 also saw a rotational change of guard at the BSI with
Robert Quirk stepping down as chairman to be replaced by Hari Morar of
Tate and Lyle. We also elected a vice chairman for the first time in the
person of Daudi Lelijveld of Cargill. Robert did a magnificent job for
us and I'd like to thank him through this forum for his energetic
contribution to BSI. He is a farmer with total hands-on experience of
better management practices (BMP's) and a complete convert to the belief
that BMP's are the way forward to realising the BSI's principles and
criteria.
/Caption: Hari Morar, new BSI Chairman/
Another personality worth mentioning is Mark Ekstein who has joined WWF
Washington. Mark is an experienced academic and analyst in his field,
very well know internationally, and he has been playing an important
role in helping us develop our conceptual programme.
Our steering committee AGM meeting on 3 and 4 December 2007, at the
Thames Refinery was notable in that it provided scope for several
relevant presentations.
Jessica Chalmers, programme manager at the Low Carbon Vehicle
Partnership (LCVP), explained, in some depth, UK bio fuel policy. As
well as emphasising the need for low carbon and sustainable bio fuels,
Chalmers spoke on the certification process of the UK Renewable
Transport Fuel Obligation (UK RTFO), which reports directly to
Parliament. She emphasised that Government targets were realistic,
although there was no penalty for failing to achieve them.
Although there is now a proliferation of schemes to define what is
sustainable in the world of bio fuels, the LCVP will use a
meta-standards approach to define acceptable standards, said Chalmers.
From 2010, she added, the UK RTFO would reward bio fuels producers
according to a carbon savings-based scheme, while from 2011, producers
would be rewarded according to sustainability.
Chalmers reminded members of the legislation, due to come in this month,
which will affect the entire European market, closing with a call for
members to develop a multi-stakeholder process to deliver a framework
for sustainability issues acceptable to all parties.
In the subsequent discussion, she was asked where rewards would be
directed. Chalmers said obligated suppliers would pass on rewards of
certificates to refiners in and importers into the UK, once linked to
sustainability. Suppliers would pay a premium in order to supply
certificates.
There then followed a talk by Jean-Philippe Denruyter, WWF Global Bio
Energy Coordinator, who covered the various drivers for bio energy, such
as energy supply for security and keeping farmers in business.
Denruyter described what needs to be done in order to make bio fuels
sustainable, including rational use of energy consumption, optimising
GHG balances, biodiversity, access to land and land displacement.
Following mention of the Roundtable on Sustainable Fuels, which began in
summer 2007, a discussion began on how roundtables could interact to
develop a common standard for bio fuels and food.
Potential new member developments were next on the agenda, with a number
of observers, including Shell, BP, Harvest Energy and Rabobank
confirming attendance at the BSI London Meeting.
There was a separate discussion on recent developments in the
Scandinavian market. Following a recent BSI visit to the Stockholm bio
fuels conference, it was noted that several companies, including Scania,
are interested in the work of the BSI. Stockholm, for example, runs its
buses on bio fuels, and are concerned about how e.g. ethanol is sourced.
Those involved are following the BSI approach closely and can see the
merit in its approach.
The meeting also discussed the BSI's future relationship with the ISSCT
which all participants regarded as positive.
Discussions between the BSI and ISSCT during the final week of November
2007 had resulted in the ISSCT agreeing to consider a scientific
commission on BMPs.
The ISSCT has recently finished an intensive consultation with their
principles on the way forward with BSI.
There was a verbal report on a BSI visit to Brazil and the DataGro sugar
and alcohol conference in October 2007, as well as discussion on the
valuable relationship with the Better Cotton Initiative and its
potential as a role model in many important respects for the BSI.
There followed a report on the BSI website, Since the introduction of
live news feeds this year, "hits" had reached almost 200,000. There was
also a very positive discussion on the possibility of closer cooperation
with Dr Peter Baron of the International Sugar Organisation.
A report on the work of the International Social and Environmental
Accreditation Labelling Alliance (ISEAL) then took place, with BSI
members deciding to work with the body to achieve credible standards of
sustainability.
There followed presentations from Jason Clay at WWF, Michael Grier at
Tate and Lyle, Natalie Ritchie at Cadbury Schweppes, David Howson from
Bacardi Ltd and former Chair Robert Quirk, ending with a discussion on
the audits of sugar mills and other issues.
Following deliberation, a road map was agreed for the BSI. This sets
several ambitious goals for the organisation over the coming months.
The first point agreed was that the draft BSI principle and criteria of
23 April 2007 should be the template for the terms of reference for BSI
technical working groups together with side by side assessments of user
social and other purchase criteria.
Members agreed that the draft principle and criteria would be updated
and circulated by the end of January 2008, and that it would now be a
priority to establish technical working groups (TWGs). These would
likely be on four issues: biodiversity and landscape issues, brown
environment (emissions and effluents), mill processing issues and social
and labour aspects. Candidate leaders for these groups should be
approached by the end of January 2008, with CVs circulated to the
Steering Committee.
By June 2008, the TWG teams should have met to discuss work and finalise
indicators before posting them online according to ISEAL requirements,
with a launch date of December 2008 in mind.
The BSI secretariat is busy contacting potential TWG members and leaders
and it is clear from the responses already received that the aims of the
BSI enjoy wide acceptance in expert agronomic circles. It is not too
late to contact me if we have inadvertently overlooked individuals who
feel they can make a contribution to the TWG process. Our contact
details are on the BSI home page.
*
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Contents
o FROM DAVID WILLERS, BSI PROJECT MANAGER. . . . . . . . . .
Page 1 <http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter>
o BUSINESS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. . . . Page 2
<http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=23>
o THE IFC'S BIODIVERSITY PROGRAMME . . . . . . . Page 3
<http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=22>
o CRAIG COX: AFTER OIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4
<http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=18>
o LLOYD'S LIST ON BIOFUELS . . . . . . . . . Page 5
<http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=27>
o NEW SOUTH AFRICAN BMP EXCITES INTEREST . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . Page 6
<http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=28>
o IPCC: THE SCIENCE BEHIND CLIMATE CHANGE . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . Page 7
<http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=29>
o WWF AND THE COCA-COLA COMPANY. . . . . . . . . . Page 8
<http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=30>
o HAWAIIAN ETHANOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 9
<http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=32>
o NEW YORK TIMES: DOES COKE NEED A REFILL? . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 10
<http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=31>
o FFI'S NATURAL VALUE INCENTIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . Page 11
<http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=33>
o RICH NICOL: MARKETING SUSTAINABILITY . . . . Page 12
<http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=34>
o DIRT NOT SO CHEAP AFTER ALL . . . . Page 13
<http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=35>
o FOREST CONVERSION NEWS NO.16 . . . . . . . Page 14
<http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=37>
o DR. ALICE WOODHEAD: RETHINKING SUPPLY CHAIN COLLABORATION .
. Page 15 <http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=40>
o AUSTRALIA: LANDLINE GETS THE DIRT ON ACID SOILS . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 16
<http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=42>
o SEEING SUGAR'S FUTURE IN FUEL . . . . . Page 17
<http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=43>
o POWER REVOLUTION. . . . . . . . . Page 18
<http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=44>
o ROUNDTABLE ON SUSTAINABLE BIOFUELS . . . . . . . . . . .
Page 19 <http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=45>
o GRASS BIOFUELS 'CUT CO2 BY 94%'. . . . ..Page 20
<http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=47>
o JESSICA CHALMERS, DELIVERING BIO FUELS SUSTAINABLY . . . .
Page 21 <http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=49>
o JEAN-PHILIPPE DENRUYTER, SUGARCANE AND BIO FUELS. . . Page
22 <http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=50>
o BIODIVERSITY ECONOMICS ARTICLES . . . . . Page 23
<http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=52>
o A SWEETER ENVIRONMENT . . . . . Page 24
<http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=53>
o TATE & LYLE'S FAIRTRADE COMMITMENT . . . . .Page 25
<http://bettersugarcane.org/newsletter/?page_id=54>
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