Highlighting our supplier’s contribution to sustainable sugar cane farming.

Congratulations to Belize Sugar Industries Limited (BSI), a supplier to our Thames Refinery and an ASR Group mill, for receiving the UK–Belize Climate & Nature Legacy Private Sector Partnership Award. The award recognises the impact of Smart Grow, BSI’s innovative, tech‑driven programme that is transforming sugarcane farming across Belize.

Driving Transparency and Climate‑Smart Agriculture

Smart Grow, which was launched in 2024, has modernised the country’s sugar supply chain through a blockchain-enabled system that improves production transparency, and expands financial inclusion for 2,000 smallholder growers by connecting farmers with financial institutions and helping them access credit more easily.

The platform improves traceability across the entire production process – from planting sugarcane in the fields to harvesting, delivery, processing, and export. Sugarcane farmers can open the app, select individual fields, and instantly see the estimated harvested tonnage, along with other key harvesting and delivery information. Similarly, delivery drivers can verify field IDs and expected load quantities, while sugarcane farmer associations can monitor weekly cane quality data and support farmers with harvest problems.

Smart Grow uses blockchain technology to create secure and transparent records, supporting everything from financial transactions to ID registration. This helps build trust between farmers, service providers, and lenders. By bringing all parts of the supply chain into one digital system and closing key information gaps, Smart Grow enhances the long‑term resilience of small‑scale farmers and the wider industry.

By supporting farmer livelihoods through improved planning, information flow and financial stability, Smart Grow helps rural communities become more resilient to climate‑related shocks.

The project was executed with co-financing and technical supervision from IDB Invest and IDB Lab.

Advancing Sustainability Through Partnership

The award, which recognises effective private-sector partnerships that support sustainable development alongside economic growth, was presented during a formal ceremony on 3rd February at the British High Commissioner’s residence in Belmopan, Belize.

BSI Communications and Government Affairs Officer William Neal accepted the award and said, “I was incredibly proud to accept this award on behalf of the entire BSI team. It affirms our hard work and the strength of our partnership with the UK and the people of Belize.” He highlighted the importance of this milestone:

“This isn’t just an achievement—it celebrates our journey toward a future for Belize in which innovation serves our economy and renews our commitment to protect the environment that sustains our industry and our community.”

Strengthening Climate and Nature Leadership in Belize

Alongside the award, BSI participated in a series of sustainability forums at the High Commissioner’s residence. These events marked the culmination of a five‑year collaboration under the UK’s Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP), a flagship initiative under the Blue Planet Fund supporting Belize’s marine protection efforts and sustainable blue‑economy development.

“The discussions were relevant to our broader sustainability and ESG goals in Belize, particularly where climate resilience, environmental stewardship and responsible investment frameworks intersect,” said Belize Country Manager Mac McLachlan. “There is a synergy between blue economy initiatives in Belize to protect marine and river ecosystems and our regenerative agriculture efforts, including water management and compost.”

Supporting the Future of Sustainable Cane Farming

We are proud of the work our supplier is doing to pioneer new technologies and build financial resilience for small-scale sugarcane farmers. BSI’s Smart Grow programme is a powerful example of how digital tools and collaboration can help create a more sustainable, transparent and resilient sugarcane supply chain.