Sustainability in the American Sugarcane Industry

Abstract

The heart of the United States sugarcane industry spans across Louisiana and Florida, contributing significantly to state economies and impacting local social and environmental issues. With increasing market demands from consumers and NGOs for sustainably sourced products and ingredients, consumer packaged goods companies are seeking a way to measure sustainability of American-grown sugarcane. At the same time, state-level sugarcane industries want to improve their ability to highlight positive initiatives across the farm, mill, and refinery levels. This paper chronicles a year-long capstone project at the University of Michigan School of Environment and Sustainability, in which three students facilitated collaboration between Kellogg Company and key players in the Louisiana sugarcane industry to pilot a sustainability measurement tool for sugarcane cultivation. The background research explores the key social and environmental issues in sugarcane production, mechanisms for sustainability measurement (including certifications and audits, as well as regulation), and opportunities for collaboration among stakeholders. Next, it details the process and challenges of creating, implementing, and analyzing a sustainability survey and proposes a path forward in measuring sugarcane’s social and environmental impact from the buyer and supplier levels. The scope of this research is centered around Louisiana production due to the willingness to collaborate by industry stakeholders in the state, but the survey could be adapted and replicated for Florida should its industry desire to do so.