How Fairtrade helps growers to build resilience to climate change
Fighting climate change in the field
Climate change is impacting us all. ABF Sugar, together with our LOCAL CHAMPIONS are adapting the way we grow and harvest sugar to create climate-friendly processes and ways of working.
The journey of our sugar starts in the fields, with over 25,000 LOCAL CHAMPIONS growing over 325,000* hectares of sugar beet and sugar cane. Subsequently producing around five million tonnes of sugar annually.
Both sugar beet and sugar cane produce sugar naturally through a process called photosynthesis by using sunlight, water and carbon dioxide. So, the better the process, the more sugar is made.
We work alongside our LOCAL CHAMPIONS to improve crop yield and practices to protect the environment. We also invest in research and development to create climate-friendly processes and ways of working.
Always adhering to the highest ethical standards, our LOCAL CHAMPIONS ensure our sugar is sustainably assured by following a number of models including Fairtrade, Red Tractor, The Sustainable Agriculture Initiative Platform, SUSFARMS and VIVE.
*for the campaign period 2020-21.
Where do our emissions come from within the field
In the field contributes to approximately a third of our carbon emissions, in areas such as:
Preparing the fields: machinery is typically used to prepare the soil as well as applying soil fertilizers and treatments, where necessary.
Growing the crop: preparation of the soil to maintain its health and treatments to improve crop yields.
Harvesting the crop: after the crop has grown for around nine months (sugar beet) and 12 months (sugar cane) the crop is ready to be harvested and transported to the local plant for processing.
Water within the field
Water is critical in growing our crops and is mainly used for irrigating the crop when there is insufficient rainfall, particularly in our African businesses.
Our actions in the field
Take a look at some of our latest stories on how our LOCAL CHAMPIONS are improving our work practices in the field:
Working together we form a global mindset so that we can all make a difference, sharing knowledge and innovating to tackle big issues like climate change.
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