Status report on sugar cane agrochemicals ... - Sucre Ethique

35
Voluntary e� orts: international codes
of conduct and certi� cation
Perhaps the most signi� cant among the voluntary guidelines in the area of pesticides is the International
Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides. The Code was � rst adopted
in 1985 by the FAO Conference, and was subsequently revised in 2002. The Code establishes “voluntary
standards of conduct for all public and private entities engaged in or associated with the
distribution and use of pesticides, particularly where there is inadequate or no national legislation
to regulate pesticides.” http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/Y4544E/y4544e00.HTM It places particular
attention to training as a means of promoting good practices of pesticide application, thereby
minimising the potential harmful health and environmental impacts. It emphasises collaborative
e� orts by governments, industry, and civil society organisations and provides recommendations
to all these parties. The Code is based on a life-cycle approach, seeking to cover the entire chain of
pesticide production and use, i.e. the development, regulation, production, management, packaging,
labelling, distribution, handling, application, use, control, post-registration activities and
disposal, trade and regulation of pesticides. The Code seeks to actively promote Integrated Pest
Management (IPM), the exchange of information and the implementation of the relevant international
agreements.
Several voluntary, private sector and multistakeholder projects and initiatives are speci� cally
targeted at promoting more environmentally and socially sustainable sugarcane cultivation. A
few of the most signi� cant ones include the following:
Among the most in� uential industry initiatives are the Code of Practice for Sustainable Cane Growing
in Queensland, and the South African Sugar Association’s Manual of standards and guidelines
for conservation and environmental management in the sugar industry (SASA, 2002).
In Brazil, a multistakeholder team developed in 2002 the ‘Principles and General Criteria for
Social and Environmental Certi� cation Ima� ora/SAN of the Sugarcane Culture’, stipulating practically
applicable environmental and socio-economic standards and criteria for sugarcane cultivation.
However, the code has not been applied yet in practice, mainly because of lack of interest
from the industry and politicians. (Smeets et al. 2008, 799)
The Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO) has developed standards for socially and environmentally
responsible production and trade, including speci� c criteria for sugar made from sugarcane
(Smeets et al. 2008, 799).
The Ethanol and Sugar Impact Analysis (ESIA) is a multistakeholder process seeking to
develop standards and criteria, so as to guarantee “that sugar/ethanol companies respect
social, communal and environmental standards”, in the spirit of corporate social responsibility.
The project draws on the work done within the Better Sugarcane Initiative, the Roundtable of
Sustainable Biofuels, and the UK Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (Smeets et al. 2008, 799).
http://www.esiaconsulting.com/
<strong>Status</strong> <strong>report</strong> on sugar cane
agrochemicals management
-
ETHICAL-SUGAR