The Bonsucro Difference.

Sustainability starts at the source—and Amyris’ feedstock source is sustainably harvested sugarcane, certified by Bonsucro, a global non-profit organization founded by the World Wildlife Fund that ensures responsible sugarcane production, processing, and trade. With the Bonsucro certification, Amyris has achieved new levels of accountability and transparency into the lifecycle of the sugarcane used in its fermentation process. As a result, brands and consumers can have complete confidence that Amyris ingredients and products are made sustainably, from the start.

Sugarcane can be found in over 100 countries, where it easily grows with no irrigation, takes as little as nine months to grow to maturity, and recovers quickly after harvesting. These traits make sugarcane an extremely sustainable solution for a bio-based economy and enable the transition away from a petroleum-based production model. While sugarcane is inherently a more sustainable crop, it must be proactively protected to ensure an abundant and sustainable future for the crop and surrounding environments—and Bonsucro was founded to do just that.

As a member of the United Nations Global Compact, Bonsucro has 250 members across 50+ countries who certify over 72M tons of sugarcane per year. Bonsucro employs a production standard and a chain of custody standard to ensure traceability and accountability across every step of the sugarcane supply chain. Their platform also complies with ISEAL’s Codes of Good Practice, a globally recognized framework that defines practices for effective and credible sustainability systems.

Bonsucro’s two standards for certification—production and chain of custody (CoC)—offer a complete record of the sugarcane’s journey from farm to mill. Not only are indicators such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, water consumption, and energy per kilogram of sugarcane measured, but the supply from feedstock production through consumption is also accounted for. These regulations and certifications for sustainability have yielded tangible impacts for the environment and the sugarcane-growing communities:

• Greenhouse gas emissions by farms have decreased by 31% and by 20% for mills over the past four years.
• Diesel consumption decreased by 25% compared to non-Bonsucro certified sugarcane growers.
• Bonsucro-certified Brazilian sugarcane suppliers from farmers to millers reported an 80% lower rate of accidents and an 88% decrease in fines related to health and safety compared to non-Bonsucro-certified sugarcane suppliers in Brazil.

With Bonsucro-certified sugarcane, Amyris is furthering its own sustainability goals, while also partnering with other brands to develop their own sustainably-made products for the growing number of eco-conscious consumers around the world. The Bonsucro certification supports Amyris in its mission to shift the world to sustainable ingredients. From its life-saving antimalarial treatment to coveted clean skincare ingredients and healthier sweeteners, Amyris has shown it can deliver on the limitless potential for sustainable growth across markets.

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