Seal to certify correct production of Brazilian ethanol
O Estado de S. Paulo - 05/20/2009
As of June, the producers of sugar and ethanol and plants which intend to display a good socio-environmental practice seal will already have an alternative in the market. The Rainforest Alliance certification, known in the international market, starts having a specific set of criteria for the sugarcane industry, the first of the kind in the whole world. The seal should help the companies seek a differentiation in the market, in the case of producers of sugar, as well as prevent pressures or embargoes from NGOs and governments in relation to Brazilian ethanol.
"The certification is an independent guarantee of good environmental and labor practices in the field. We have agribusiness groups that have advanced a lot in these issues and that deserve such differentiation in the market", explains Luis Fernando Guedes Pinto, superintendent of Imaflora, organization that grants the Rainforest Alliance seal in Brazil. The Adecoagro group, which operates in the agribusiness area, already had the Rainforest Alliance certification for its production of gourmet coffee that is exported to countries in Europe, to the United States and Japan. "The green seal allows us an average bonus of US$ 8 per bag of coffee", affirms Marcelo Vieira, director of Adecoagro. The Balbo group, from Sertãozinho (SP), owner of the organic brand Native also showed interest in the certification, according to Pinto, of Imaflora. There is also interest on the part of European traders who operate in the Country. "The sugar producer wants to sell products with the green seal, even for the big food industries, which start requiring certifications. And those who trade ethanol want to reduce the social and environmental risks of the production", says Pinto.