Blake Lapthorn green breakfast 17 November 2010

Sugarcane and soya in your engine? Helping fuel importers to source sustainably-produced biofuels Green Breakfast 17/11/10

Proforest UK based organization founded in 2000 Supporting organizations to use natural resources responsibly • Offices in Oxford (UK) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) • Focus on forestry and agricultural commodities Policy •A forest development, capacity building and training, supply somewhere management, support to producers and buyers and chain in the world support to stakeholders processes

Policy development • Private sector • Internal company policies • Public sector • Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation • RFA Expert Advisory Group • Development of guidance for field assessments • EU Commission • Regular liaison with DG TREN as part of work with private sector

Capacity building and training • ProForest summer training course • Up-to-date short courses (Agriculture, Forestry, REDD, HCV) • Civil society, private sector, government, banks • Covers certification, policy development and implementation • Stepwise-support programme • Work with palm oil and sugarcane producers to meet Sustainability Requirements (RSPO, RTFO) • South America, S.E. Asia, W. Africa • Approved auditor training for RSPO • Support to stakeholders process, Standard settings • RSPO • RTRS • BSI

Supply chain management • Private companies • Supply chain mapping • Buying rules • Support for suppliers to meet requirements • Supplier assessment • Chain of custody • Production (farm/plantation) • Certification schemes • Technical guidance on Chain of Custody verification options • Facilitation of working groups

Support to Producers and buyers: What are we working with? What these things have in common?

Main Concerns in Agriculture • Food safety concerns • e.g. pesticide residues • Impacts on local communities and workers • Fair wages • Pesticide use • Labour conditions (slavery, H&S etc) • Fair prices for small producers (e.g. coffee) • Genetically modified organisms More recently: • Environmental impacts of agricultural expansion • Carbon (climate change)

Palm Oil

Sugarcane “Amnesty said that in March 2007, 288 workers were rescued from forced labor at six cane plantations…”

Tackling Climate Change

EU and Carbon • EU Regulations • Renewable Energy Directive • adopted in December 2008 • GHG reduction • Promote sustainable energy • UK – Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation • suppliers of fossil fuels to ensure that a specified percentage of the road fuels they supply in the UK is made up of renewable fuels sustainably sourced • Uses a RTFO Meta-standard and accept others standards (e.g. RTRS) • RFA Quarterly Report April 15th 2010 • Biodiesel - 272.91 million litters • Bioethanol – 153.5 million litters http://www.renewablefuelsagency.gov.uk

Biofuels

RTFO • Suppliers have to submit reports on carbon and sustainability • Biodiesel and Bioethanol produced from soy and sugarcane does not come from converted areas • Meet the RTFO sustainability meta-standard requirements or RTRS • Carbon conservation • Biodiversity • Soil conservation • Sustainable water use • Air quality • Workers rights and working relationships • Land rights and community relations

Working with main UK fuel suppliers • Finding ways to adjust and implementing internal polices to get practical solutions (comply with RTFO) • Understanding the supply chain • Finding evidence of where the product has gone through • Working with producers toward sustainability

Commodity Supply Chains

Working with producers •Soya in Argentina for biodiesel •RTRS (Round Table on Responsible Soy) •Sugarcane in Brazil for bioethanol •RTFO

Soya in Argentina • Location: Argentina’s “Wet Pampa” • Large scale producers • GAP Assessments and Action Plans • Scope of the work • Presentation of European context (RTRS, RTFO and RED requirements) • Key issues for compliance of RTRS P&Cs requirements • Analysis of documents and maps • Field visits • Agreement for necessary actions

Findings in soya produced in Argentina • Positive Aspects: • Legal Compliance and Good Business Practice • Good management system for documenting land ownership, regulations updates and monitoring • Responsible Labor Conditions • No child or forced labor, discrimination and harassment • Workers adequately informed and trained • Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining • Remuneration at least equal to national legislation • Environmental Responsibility • Efforts to reduce emissions of GHGs • Good Agricultural Practices

Findings in soya produced in Argentina • Areas for improvement • Environmental responsibility Criterion 4.2 Pollution is minimized and production waste is managed responsibly • Subcontractors are responsible for production and management: residues generated by subcontractor were discharged directly to public litters Criterion 5.5 All application of agrochemicals is documented • No evidences of aerial agrochemical application warnings to local communities were found

Waste management & pollution

Sugarcane in Brazil • Location: Centre South and North East • Large scale producers • GAP Assessments and Action Plans • Scope of the work • Presentation of European context (RTRS, RTFO and RED requirements) • Key issues for compliance of RTRS P&Cs requirements • Analysis of documents and maps • Field visits • Agreement for necessary actions

Findings in sugarcane produced in Brazil • Positive aspects • Soil and water management generally good • No evidence of native vegetation conversion • Social programmes • Good examples of labour conditions, labour relations • Good examples of plans to phase out burning of cane

Findings in sugarcane produced in Brazil • Areas for improvement: • Law reinforcement in Brazil • Phasing out burning • Meeting legal reserves (RL)/ permanent preservation area quotas (APPs) • Social issues • Social implications of mechanisation not addressed in the Northeast • Communication and consultation with communities • Flora and Fauna Surveys

Air pollution from burning

Main results • From the 17 producers organizations we have worked with in Brazil and Argentina • 11 producers were able to show compliance with the necessary standard • 4 were not audited by certification bodies because they were not ready • 2 producers are still negotiating • Many lessons learned • How to guarantee verifiable information to Government • How to implement changes in the field

Thank you! ILAN KRUGLIANSKAS ilan@proforest.net

Blake Lapthorn green breakfast 17 November 2010

by Blake Lapthorn

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