Our three-step process for verification and certification

We have a rigorous three-step ethical sourcing programme that helps to give us and our stakeholders reassurance that our raw sugar is produced in conditions where human and labour rights are respected and environmental impacts are minimised.

Step One: All suppliers to ASR Group must agree to adhere to our Ethical Sourcing Policy.  The Policy is based on the International Labour Organizations’ (ILO) conventions as well as other internationally recognized standards, and covers issues such as the prohibition of child and slave labour, land use, and environmental impacts. Our Policy can be downloaded here: https://www.asr-group.com/english

Step Two: Suppliers are required to complete a self-assessment questionnaire on their compliance with our Ethical Sourcing Policy on the SEDEX platform. SEDEX is a not-for-profit membership organisation, which offers an electronic system for collecting and analysing information on ethical and responsible business practices in supply chains. Find out more here: www.sedexglobal.com 

Step Three: Suppliers participate in a sustainability verification audit, unless they hold a certification against a credible sustainability standard.  Audits are conducted by third party auditors against the internationally recognized social and environmental ProTerra standard. Audits are conducted every three years. The ProTerra standard addresses the main challenges linked to the production of agricultural products in the developing world, such as the rights and needs of smallholders and local communities, protection of workers’ health and rights as well as the protection of the environment (proterrafoundation.org). Suppliers found to be non-compliant with verification audit criteria submit a Corrective Action Plan with a timescale for remediation. 

In addition to providing us with the assurance that our supply chain is conducting business in a legal, ethical and sustainable manner, our auditing programme also generates insight into the highest impacts and risks throughout our raw sugar supply chain. This allows us to define and focus our remediation efforts accordingly.