Sustainability is a journey

At Bonsucro, we are continuously working to improve the social, environmental, and economic sustainability of sugarcane production and its uses. Just as we support members with the monitoring and improvement of their sustainability, we are committed to learning, adapting and improving as an organisation. 

Monitoring and evaluation (M&E), impact assessment and learning are essential parts of Bonsucro’s activities. In the Bonsucro Strategic Plan 2021-2026, Bonsucro committed to develop an improved monitoring and evaluation and learning (MEL) system for Bonsucro to measure impact and progress against our global targets. To ensure continuous improvement, Bonsucro has a development plan for the system, including plans to develop tools and processes, and improve visibility and accessibility for stakeholders. 

Bonsucro MEL Resources

Bonsucro Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Framework

This MEL Framework provides practical information to guide the implementation of M&E at Bonsucro. It is an operational document that will continue to evolve as Bonsucro expands its MEL capabilities. The primary audience of this framework is the Bonsucro staff team and Governance stakeholders.   

• Download Bonsucro’s MEL Framework 2025

Bonsucro Theory of Change

The Theory of Change describes the activities, outputs and outcomes that drive us towards Bonsucro’s central purpose as a platform to collectively accelerate the sustainable production and uses of sugarcane.  

This diagram depicts Bonsucro’s overarching Theory of Change, aligned with the Strategic Plan 2021-2026. A more detailed set of complementary results chains will be available later in the year.

• Download image

Priority Indicators for Monitoring and Evaluation

This document provides a summary of priority KPIs aligned with the Bonsucro Strategy Global Indicators.  They draw primarily on monitoring data collected by Certified Entities and verified by Certification Bodies. 

• Download Priority Indicators for Monitoring and Evaluation

Unintended Consequences

Bonsucro monitors unintended consequences of our standards and activities to limit the potential for new problems to be created as we work to accelerate the sustainable production and uses of sugarcane.*

Unintended consequences are outcomes that were not anticipated or intended when an action was taken. They can refer to any outcomes — positive or negative — that occur as a result of an activity or intervention, but were not originally planned or anticipated in the design.

We focus particularly on identifying and monitoring any negative effects that could harm, people, and the environment, or businesses.

Example of an unintended consequence:

The Bonsucro Standard does not require mechanised harvesting, but producers may use it as a way to address human rights issues and improve efficiency as part of their Bonsucro certification. An unintended consequence of mechanisation can be job losses for manual workers, causing unemployment in local communities.

We welcome your feedback on any potential or actual unintended consequences of Bonsucro’s activities. To share your input, please click here.

Submissions welcome in any language. As perguntas estão disponíveis em português. Las preguntas están disponibles en español.

*Monitoring unintended consequences is considered best practice under the ISEAL Code of Good Practice for Sustainability Systems.

Bonsucro Outcome Report

Every year, Bonsucro publishes its Outcome Report to provide stakeholders with a view on key improvements achieved by the sustainable sugarcane sector, made of operators which participate in the Bonsucro platform and/or achieve Bonsucro certification. It is based on analyses carried out by the Bonsucro secretariat using different sources of data. The report seeks to assess key indicators to provide an evaluation of the performance of the organisation in delivering impact, and to identify the measurable outcomes achieved by operators. 

Download the latest Bonsucro Outcome Report (2024)

Additional outcome/impact reports

Continuous Improvement Report 2024-25	Continuous Improvement Report 2023-24	Continuous Improvement Report 2022	Continuous Improvement Report 2021	Business case study: Key learnings on Bonsucro certification in India	The benefits of Bonsucro certification in Brazil	Impact Assessment – SIPA Business and Human Rights Clinic 2019

Findings and responses

Bonsucro Impact Fund Evaluation:

• Executive summary
• Management response

2024 Membership Satisfaction Survey:

• Executive summary
• Management response

For further information or if you have any comments about Bonsucro’s M&E system, please contact Laura Ferreira, Senior Digitalisation and Impact Manager, at lferreira@bonsucro.com.