Power, certification, and the social sustainability of Brazilian bioethanol: views from Brazil

Abstract

International discussions on the sustainability of Brazilian ethanol biofuel and efforts to develop biofuel sustainability certification have until recently concentrated on the environmental effects of the expected expansion of sugarcane cultivation, notably deforestation and the indirect land use impacts. The social impacts of large-scale sugarcane cultivation have appeared in the debate only over the past couple of years. However, most of the debate has focused on impacts in the main producing areas of São Paulo and the areas of sugarcane expansion in the Centre-West of the country. This paper brings into focus the socio-economic situation in the Northeast of Brazil and the potential impacts of the current ‘biofuel boom’ in this poor region, whose economy has been dominated by sugarcane cultivation since the 17th century. In particular, the paper starts from the assumption that the highly unequal power relations in the Northeast crucially shape the impact of biofuel expansion in this region, and that the exercise of power should be given greater attention especially when designing biofuel certification schemes. The paper examines Brazilian stakeholders’ views on fuel ethanol policies in general, on the role of the Northeast in those policies, and on the potential of certification to improve the sustainability of the Brazilian ethanol sector. An overview of the socioeconomic situation in the Northeastern sugarcane-growing region is followed by an analysis of the views by the Brazilian government, sugar and ethanol industry, NGOs and experts concerning bioethanol in general, and certification in the Northeast in particular. Conclusions concern the implications of the unequal Brazilian conditions and the diverging views of stakeholders for the potential of sustainability certification to remedy especially the social problems associated with the expansion of ethanol production in Brazil.

While the environmental and economic dimensions of sustainability have received plenty of attention in biofuel policies and assessment, only recently has the social ‘pillar’ gained increasing weight, as demonstrated e.g. by debates over the food vs. fuel dilemma and large vs. small-scale biofuel production. The Brazilian bioethanol programme, Proálcool, launched in 1975, provides a unique historical illustration of the challenges of reconciling social, environmental and economic objectives in the presence of striking asymmetries of power. Inequality characterises the relations both between regions – the poor Northeast and the prosperous Southeast – and between social classes in the Northeast sugarcane zone. The on-going renaissance of Brazil’s ethanol sector provides new opportunities for economic and technological development, but has also raised concerns about the potentially harmful environmental and social impacts from the expansion of sugarcane cultivation. The entry of international players into the Brazilian biofuel scene has increased competition, but has also opened up opportunities for more pro-poor policies and breaking down the entrenched power structures, notably through the pressure from international sustainability certification schemes. This paper will examine the prospects and challenges facing biofuel sustainability certification in promoting social and environmental sustainability in Brazil, with particular attention to the country’s Northeast region. By examining the recent Brazilian debate concerning certification – including official positions by authorities, statements by various stakeholders, and the broader media debate – the paper identifies the key challenges of sustainability certification in the light of its often mutually contradicting objectives. The focus will be on interactions and tensions between four such objectives: ensuring biofuel sustainability at the global level; promoting innovation towards the supposedly more sustainable ‘next generation’ biofuels; supporting Brazil’s economic and commercial ambitions as part of its ‘ethanol diplomacy’; and promoting social justice. The paper will conclude by recommendations concerning ways to overcome the challenges.