Sucden

No leading practices were identified for the company in the governance and strategy measurement area.

No leading practices were identified for the company in the environment measurement area.

No leading practices were identified for the company in the nutrition measurement area.

No leading practices were identified for the company in the social inclusion measurement area.

Sustainable development strategy
While the company provides an overview of its material issues and action areas, it has an opportunity to disclose how it identifies and prioritises the topics where it has the most impact.

Governance and accountability for sustainable development
The company discloses that accountability and oversight for its sustainability strategy lies with the highest governance body. However, no evidence was found regarding inclusion of sustainability metric in the remuneration policy of its highest governance body.

Stakeholder engagement
The company does not disclose stakeholder engagement activities, including how it selects the stakeholders, nor an overview of the topics discussed or their outcomes.

Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions
While the company discloses a reduction in its greenhouse gas emissions, it is yet to set reduction targets aligned with a 1.5-degree trajectory.

Protection of terrestrial natural ecosystems
The company discloses a forest protection policy for its cocoa supply chains, and has a 2025 target to ensure at least 50% of coffee is sourced through sustainable practices. The company has an opportunity to set a deforestation and conversion free targets for all its high risk commodities including cocoa, and report progress against the target.

Soil health and agrobiodiversity, and fertiliser and pesticide use
The company discloses its commitments through adopting practices such as crop rotation, and fertiliser and pesticide management. However, the company has an opportunity to set targets to increase sourcing from sustainable practices that promote soil health and agrobiodiversity, and optimise fertiliser and pesticide use.

Water use
Sucden has set a 2030 target to reduce its water withdrawals by 50%, and reports progress against this target. However, the company is yet to provide evidence of dependency on water-stressed areas.

Food loss and waste
The company provides evidence of utilising by-products from its sugar production such as beet pulp and residues as fertilisers. However, it is yet to disclose quantitative evidence of reducing food loss and waste, nor has it set targets to do so.

Animal welfare
The company provides guidelines addressing key welfare issues in dairy cows, covering daily mulching for comfort, ventilation and feeding. However, it does not disclose evidence of processes such as third-party certifications or third-party audits to ensure animal welfare standards.

Availability, accessibility and affordability of healthy foods
Given its role as an agricultural trader, Sucden has less impact on nutrition issues compared to companies involved in the manufacture of consumer products. However, it is yet to disclose commitments to address food insecurity by supporting the production of healthy and nutritious foods and improving the accessibility of such foods.

Workforce nutrition
The company does not disclose a workforce nutrition programme that prioritises making healthy foods the standard in the workplace.

Food safety
While the company discloses compliance with national regulations and certifications for its sugar factories, it has an opportunity to disclose that 100% of its operations are certified to a food safety programme certified by the Global Food Safety Initiative.

Child labour
The company indicates that it will not use child labour in its cocoa and coffee supply chains. The company also provides evidence of using monitoring and remediation systems for its direct supply chain in Ivory Coast, and working with partners to set up community-based monitoring systems for certain suppliers in Ghana. However, no evidence of commitments was found for the rest of its supply chains or its own operations.

Forced labour
The company indicates that it will not use forced labour in its cocoa and coffee supply chains. The company also provides efforts of monitoring suppliers particularly in Ivory Coast and Dominican Republic. However, no evidence of commitments was found for the rest of its supply chains or its own operations.

Living wage
The company has set a 2025 target to calculate living wages for its coffee supply chain. While the company discloses that it will provide living wages for its employees, it does not disclose if its definition of a living wage includes living costs and discretionary income for workers and families.

Health and safety of vulnerable groups
The company does not disclose that it specifically recognises the health and safety risks to vulnerable groups, such as migrant and temporary labourers, women and young farmers.

Farmer and fisher productivity and resilience
The company provides evidence of supporting farmer productivity and resilience through training programs to improve agricultural practices across Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Colombia, Indonesia and India. While the company discloses the impact of some of its activities, it is yet to demonstrate that it is systematically measuring the outcomes and impact of all its support activities, as part of a holistic strategic approach.

Land rights
The company does not commit to recognising and respecting the legitimate tenure rights related to the ownership and use of land of local communities.

While Sucden commits to respecting human rights, no evidence of commitments was found regarding respecting the ILO core labour rights for its own operations and supply chain partners. Moreover, the company does not disclose processes for identifying and assessing human rights risks in its own operations and supply chain, nor does it provide a grievance mechanisms for its employees or external stakeholders.

Sucden publicly commits to respect the health and safety of workers. In addition the company discloses limited information regarding work-related injuries, and its expectations on health and safety for its supply chain partners. The company discloses its commitments to pay all workers a living wage, and describes how it works to support living wages across its supply chain. However, no evidence was found regarding working hours, collective bargaining, workforce diversity, or gender equality and women’s empowerment fundamentals.

Sucden has a public commitment to protect personal data, but provides limited disclosure in relation to how data is collected, shared and accessed. While the company publicly prohibits bribery and corruption, Sucden has an opportunity to improve by including anti-bribery and anti-corruption clauses in contracts with its supply chain partners, or by providing a confidential and anonymous grievance mechanism for stakeholders to raise bribery and corruption concerns and complaints. No evidence of commitments was found regarding responsible tax, or responsible lobbying and political engagement fundamentals.