Sustainable Sugarcane Production for a Greener Future

Overview of Thailand’s Sugarcane Industry

In 2017, FairAgora wrote a white paper to provide stakeholders with key insights into sustainable sugarcane production in Thailand. The report included market intelligence, technical data, and government policies, offering a comprehensive industry overview. It also highlighted key opportunities to advance sustainability by leveraging the Bonsucro standard as a reference framework. To ensure accuracy, the findings combined a desktop review of industry data, technical reports, and regulatory policies along with insights gathered from stakeholder engagement.

Challenges in Sustainable Sugarcane Production

Thailand’s sugarcane industry faces several environmental and social challenges. These include water usage, soil degradation, and fair labor practices. As a result, businesses must adopt more responsible farming methods to remain competitive and sustainable. More importantly, the Bonsucro standard promotes efficiency, ethical labor conditions, and reduced environmental impact. Consequently, farmers and producers who meet these criteria gain significant market advantages and long-term sustainability.

FairAgora’s Role in Sustainable Farming

Since 2017, FairAgora has partnered with PepsiCo and NESTLÉ to not only improve sustainable sugarcane production in Thailand but also enhance farming efficiency and environmental responsibility. Furthermore, these collaborations actively support both social and economic sustainability, ensuring that all farmers and stakeholders consistently experience long-term benefits. As a result, the industry is gradually transitioning toward more ethical, transparent, and eco-friendly production practices. In addition, ongoing efforts continue to drive innovation in farming techniques, promote fair labor conditions, and strengthen environmental policies. Moreover, industry-wide awareness of sustainability challenges is increasing, encouraging businesses to adopt responsible practices. At the same time, collaboration between public and private sectors is expanding, leading to greater investment in sustainable initiatives. Consequently, the sugarcane sector is witnessing improved regulatory compliance, greater supply chain transparency, and stronger environmental safeguards. Ultimately, these initiatives help create a more sustainable and resilient sugarcane industry while fostering economic stability for farming communities.

Efforts to Enhance Sustainability

Through these partnerships, the focus remains on building capacity, promoting responsible farming, and reducing environmental impact. Specifically, efforts include training farmers on sustainable practices, enhancing traceability in supply chains, and improving labor conditions. Ultimately, these initiatives contribute to a more resilient and sustainable sugarcane industry in Thailand.

The Future of Sustainable Sugarcane Production

Moving forward, increased data-driven solutions and collaborative efforts will strengthen sustainability initiatives. Innovations in farming techniques, improved policy frameworks, and corporate responsibility play key roles in shaping the future of sustainable sugarcane production in Thailand. By working together, industry stakeholders can ensure a more ethical, efficient, and environmentally friendly approach to sugarcane farming.

Moving forward, increased data-driven solutions and collaborative efforts will strengthen sustainability initiatives. Innovations in farming techniques, improved policy frameworks, and corporate responsibility play key roles in shaping the future of sustainable sugarcane production in Thailand. By working together, industry stakeholders can ensure a more ethical, efficient, and environmentally friendly approach to sugarcane farming.

Sustainable Sugarcane Production Goals

The White Paper 2020 Edition aims to:

1. Identify not only the critical social, economic, and environmental challenges but also the key opportunities that must be addressed in the Thai sugarcane industry. Furthermore, explore ways to drive the sustainability agenda forward by aligning with both the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) frameworks.
2. Address some of the biggest challenges in the sugarcane industry, improved stakeholder engagement and collaboration is needed across the supply chain.
3. Show the outcomes of Impact project on fostering continuous improvement in Thai sugarcane sector.
4. Show the outcomes of Labor Transparency Project (LTP) on increasing transparency and fostering safe and fair labor practices within sugarcane supply chain in Thailand.
5. Publicize and present at Bonsucro Global Week and similar international sugarcane events.

​Sustainable Sugarcane Production Timeline

April-May 2020 Market analysis and desk research

June 2020 Develop to final report

July 2020 Publication the White Paper 2020 Edition

Production Budget

USD 10,000