CCA
Coca-Cola Amatil switches to sustainable sugar for its non-alcoholic beverage range in Australia. Credit: rawpixel on Unsplash.

Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) has announced that all of the sugar used in its non-alcoholic beverages sold in Australia will be sourced from independently accredited farmers that follow sustainable production frameworks.

The move is part of a global commitment by The Coca-Cola Company to source ingredients from sustainable sources by 2020.

The sugar will be certified against Bonsucro and Smartcane Best Management Practice (BMP) guidelines, which aim to increase farm productivity while reducing environmental and social risks.

“We have responsibilities to the community on resource use and renewal.”

The frameworks cover herbicide and pesticide use per hectare, water use in sugarcane growing and milling, farm systems management and increased use of ethanol to reduce the reliance on fossil fuels.

A chain of responsibility is also implemented under the guidelines, as well as independent auditing of the industry’s safety and staff training.

CCA Group managing director Alison Watkins said: “We have responsibilities to the community on resource use and renewal, and we’ve also heard customer feedback in favour of greater sustainability in the products we sell.

“The switch to sustainably accredited sugar is a step forward for our overall operations, and also in meeting that customer demand.”

Sugar Research Australia (SRA) has assessed the impact of Smartcane BMP on business profitability and found the practices could benefit growers by between $25 and $220 per hectare per annum.