Factsheet: Green Protocol

The Green Protocol is a voluntary agreement established between UNICA, ORPLANA and the government of state of São Paulo to end the use of fire in sugarcane harvesting and to adopt other conservation measures, such as the protection of riparian areas. The reduction of sugarcane straw burning and cogeneration in mills in the state of São Paulo, on top of the recovery of riparian forests, will avoid the emission of 62.5 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 2017. The figure was announced on 11/26/2009 during an event organized by the Secretariats of Environment and Agriculture of the state of São Paulo and the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) to present accomplishments of the Agro-environmental Protocol for the Sugar and Ethanol Sector. The Agro-environmental Protocol establishes certain commitments and technical policies, such as the early phaseout of sugarcane pre-harvest field burning, 2014 for mechanized areas and 2017 for non-mechanized areas. During the event, UNICA informed that by December of 2017, the just elimination of straw burning will avoid the emission of 8.5 million tons of CO2 in this 10 year period.