The European Commission (EC) has reapproved Bonsucro as compliant with the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED), allowing Bonsucro-certified ethanol made from sugarcane to be imported into the European market.

The European Commission (EC) has reapproved Bonsucro as compliant with the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED), allowing Bonsucro-certified ethanol made from sugarcane to be imported into the European market. Valid for a 5-year period, the decision was published in the Official Journal of the European Union and came into force 23 March.
Bonsucro certification was launched in 2011, and Bonsucro worked with the EC to become one of the recognised schemes. The original recognition was valid for five years, and the recognition renewal for a further five years comes after a thorough and comprehensive review process by the EC and appointed consultants. Operators looking to export ethanol to Europe choose the Bonsucro EU certification process.
– This is exciting news which will directly benefit Bonsucro’s members’ trading activities. It demonstrates the commitment of Bonsucro to supporting its membership as well as the credibility and recognition of the Bonsucro certification systems, said Nicolas Viart, Director, Standards & Innovation, Bonsucro in a statement.
The EU RED was instrumental in driving the adoption and demonstration of sustainability performance by sugarcane operators and is still regarded as essential to achieving the EU 2020 strategy on energy consumption reduction.
Over the period of 2015/16, 35 mills achieved Bonsucro EU certification, offering the EU access to 1.8 million m3 of ethanol.
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About Bonsucro
Initiated in 2005, Bonsucro is a global network focused developing a global, objective performance standard for the sugarcane value chain, from growth to primary derived products including ethanol. In 2011, the Bonsucro certification standard was launched and currently, 25 percent of land under cane globally is in membership, c. 3 million tonnes of sugar and 1.8 million m3 of ethanol is Bonsucro certified.