British Sugar is a signatory to a voluntary Code of Conduct on corporate social responsibility agreed between CEFS (Comité Européen des Fabricants de Sucre) and EFFAT (European Federation of Trade Unions in the Food, Agriculture and Tourism sectors) which sets minimum standards in eight areas.

Collected examples of best practices are regularly updated and serve as an inspiration for companies.  The Code of Conduct was launched on 7 February 2003, in presence of the European Commission and came into effect on 1 January 2004.  This industry code may be found on the CEFS website. (cefs.org/en/responsab/welcome.htm)

As a member company of Associated British Foods plc, whilst our companies devise procedures appropriate to and compliant with local laws, culture and operating conditions we also operate within the overriding business principles of the ABF group.  Further details may be found on their website at www.abf.co.uk

Stakeholder relationships

Employees
Our employees are our most crucial resource, and therefore we abide by the following principles: 

• Equal opportunities – we are committed to offering equal opportunities to all people in their recruitment, training and career development, having regard for their particular aptitudes and abilities.  Full and fair consideration is given to applicants with disabilities and every effort is made to give employees who become disabled whilst employed by the company an opportunity for retraining.
• Health and safety – ensuring the health and wellbeing of all employees and visitors to our activities is of primary importance to us. To achieve this outcome and ensure our obligations are consistently achieved management are committed to the rigorous assessment and management of risk at our sites and to involving all employees in positive safety programmes.
• Healthcare - In our southern African operations, access to health care is provided to all employees either through a network of in house primary health care clinics and hospitals or through the provision of medical insurance schemes.
  The group continues to take a pro-active stance against life-threatening epidemics such as HIV/AIDS and malaria.
  In our other operations, occupational healthcare and support is provided.
• Harassment – we will not tolerate sexual, mental or physical harassment in the workplace.  We expect incidents of harassment to be reported to the human resources director.
• Human rights – managers must take account of the core International Labour Organisation labour conventions and strive to observe the UN Declaration on Human Rights, by respecting the dignity and human rights of our employees and in particular as stated below:

- 'Universal respect for an observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without discrimination as to race, sex, language or religion.'

- We remunerate fairly with respect to skills, performance, our peers and local conditions.

• The group is conscious of its responsibility to progress Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) in South Africa and local economic empowerment in the host countries of Illovo’s sugar operations outside South Africa.  In this regard, the group has adopted an integrated approach which encompasses meaningful and sustainable participation of Black people at all operations of the company and promotes participation of communities in the value chain of the sugar industry.

• Communication – we will brief employees and their representatives on all relevant matters on a regular basis.

• Security – the security of our staff and customers is paramount and we will at all times take the necessary steps to minimise risks to their safety.

Customers
We seek to be honest and fair in our relationships with our customers and above all to provide the standards of product and service that have been agreed whilst at the same time offering value for money.  At all times we take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety and quality of the goods or services that we produce.

Suppliers
We will carry out our business honestly, ethically and with respect for the rights and interests of our suppliers.  We will settle our bills promptly being a signatory to the Better Payment Practice Code and we will co-operate with suppliers to improve quality and efficiency.  We seek to develop relationships with supplier companies consistent with these basic principles, and specifically with respect to human rights and conditions of employment.  Where supplier audits show shortcomings in any of these areas, we will strive to encourage a programme of improvement leading to compliance.

The wider community
We recognise our responsibilities as a member of the communities in which we operate and encourage our operating companies to engage with the local community in their areas of operation.

Environment

We recognise the impact that our operations have on the environment.  Therefore, as a minimum, we will comply with current applicable legislation of the countries in which we operate.

The environmental performance of our businesses will be regularly reported to and reviewed by the board.

Sustainability
British Sugar is recognised internationally as the most efficient sugar manufacturer in Europe.  The UK operation transforms all of its inputs into sustainable products and the environmental benefits of sugar beet growing in the UK have been recognised in a UK Government Report.

Nothing is wasted.  After the sugar is extracted, the sugar beet is marketed for high energy animal feed and molasses, the final syrup, is used as a feedstock by the fermentation industry.  The small amount of soil adhering to the sugar beet is marketed to landscapers, architects and farmers, ensuring that this valuable non-renewable resource is used in a sustainable way.

The lime products produced as part of the purification process are sold for soil conditioning.  Even the stones delivered along with the sugar beet are separated, graded and washed and sold to the construction industry.

These principles are applied wherever possible to our group operations around the world.

Energy
Reduction of energy usage is a continuing focus for all of our operations.  This not only reduces our operating costs but has the benefit of reducing emissions.

In our southern African and Chinese plants, more than 90% of the energy used is renewable, derived from bagasse, the fibrous remains of the cane once the sugar has been extracted.  The bagasse is burnt to produce steam for the process and generate electricity.

Water consumption
We are committed to reducing water consumption in all of our operations by improved controls and re-use.  We have already made significant achievements in this area:

Biodiversity
British Sugar encourages beet growers in the UK to minimise their environmental impact which results in enhanced protection of the countryside.  Much of our cane growing is undertaken on our own farms where we strive to maintain best agricultural practices and minimise the environmental impact.  We also encourage our cane suppliers to adopt the same principles.   In the UK, the company owns two Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Agricultural Sourcing and Innovation
Our close links with our grower suppliers has allowed us to ensure that usage of pesticides, fungicides and fertilisers is minimised and carefully matched to the needs of the crop.  This has led to a significant reduction with resulting environmental benefit, particularly for watercourses.

In southern Africa, the group has adopted farming practices based on field conservation guidelines as advocated by the South African Sugarcane Research Institute, so as to ensure agricultural production on a sustainable basis with minimum impact on the environment.

British Sugar plc
Sugar Way
Peterborough
PE2 9AY

t: +44 (0)1733 563171
f: +44 (0)1733 563068