Making the sugar world a better place

The EU Sugar Industry Corporate Social Responsibility Report

2013

About this Corporate Social Responsibility Report

This is the 11th annual implementation reportof the CSR Code of Conduct signed in 2003by the European Federation of Trade Unionsin the Food, Agriculture and Tourism sectors(EFFAT) and the European Association ofSugar Producers (CEFS).

The EU Sugar Industry CSR Report isadopted through an extensive consultationprocess whose purpose is not only to reportbut also to explore issues of commoninterest, to disseminate information on bestpractices while creating a spirit ofcollaboration and contributing to the capacitybuilding of social partners in the face ofcurrent and emerging challenges for thesector.

The procedure for the adoption of this reportis as follows: Every year, in September-October, CEFS and EFFAT Secretariatslaunch a consultation of their respectivenational delegations regarding the applicationof the Code of Conduct during that naturalyear. That consultation takes place firstthrough a questionnaire regarding theapplication of each of the 8 minimumstandards contained in the Code of Conduct.CEFS also convenes a meeting with itsmembers later in the autumn of that year inorder to analyse the responses to thequestionnaire and eventually complete orupdate those. That meeting is also anopportunity to analyse the economic andpolitical context in light of its impact on thesugar sector. The CEFS members present atthat meeting are either companyrepresentatives (most often responsible forpersonnel matters) or social affairs expertswithin national sugar associations that collectand coordinate the response of their membercompanies.

Sugar companies generally use theknowledge drawn from their regular contactswith workers representatives to identify thechallenges and best practices that are to bereported under the EU Code of conduct. Thecollected information is then contrasted withthe ones collected by EFFAT and, in theevent that inconsistencies would appear, theissue can be discussed at the level of CEFSand EFFAT Secretariats with the involvement,if needed, of the social partners of thecompany (ies) concerned.

At least two face-to-face meetings betweenEFFAT and CEFS are generally required inview of coordinating the content of theimplementation report and the preparation ofthe annual plenary meeting of the socialpartners, where the report is adopted. Justbefore the plenary meeting (whichtraditionally takes place the last working dayof February) both workers and employersrepresentatives discuss separately the finaldraft report before the latter is discussed atthe plenary. The plenary itself is designed,through presentations from experts onrelevant topics, to explore in greater detailsome of the topics described in the draftreport as well as emerging issues that shouldbe the focus of the social partners’ joint workin the coming year.

This report was edited by CEFS andEFFAT Secretariats. For any questions orsuggestions regarding this report pleasecontact :E.Brentnall@effat.org orOscar.Ruiz@cefs.org

The EU Sugar Industry I 2 I CSR Report 2013

Index

1. Joint letter from the Chairmen 4

2. What is the EU CSR Code of Conduct? 5

3. Where are we coming from: the EU Sugar Reform from 2006 until Today 6

4. Anticipating and preparing for change: the social dimension of the reform of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post 2013 7

5. Focus on some Good Practices reported in 2013: 9

(a) Leadership, Communication and Conflict management training in Nordzucker Germany 9

(b) Dealing with longer campaigns: Workplace Health Promotion Project in Agrana Austria 10

(c) Burn-out training and conciliation of family life in Südzucker Germany 11

6. Joint projects started in 2013 involving the social partners: 12

(a) The EU Beet Sugar Sustainability Partnership 12

(b) Socio-demographic mapping of the industry 14

7. Our objectives for 2014 and beyond 15

Annex: Sugar companies CSR reports in 2013 16

The EU Sugar Industry I 3 I CSR Report 2013

1Back in 2003, the sector was a pioneer inestablishing a voluntary Code of Conduct for itsindustry based on an extensive number ofprinciples to be monitored every year throughan annual implementation report. Throughoutthe latest decade, more than 50 company goodpractices implementing the Code of Conducthave been analysed and made public in thecommon website of the social partners(www.eurosugar.org). The social dialogue thatsustains this process of implementation hasbeen crucial in facing the challenges of the2006 reform and embracing the opening of theEU market to sugar imports from ACP and leastdeveloped countries. It has also been at theorigin of various pan-European projectscovering issues such as health and safety andemployability in our sector.

In the context of social and economic changes,we should not forget that between 2006 and2009 the sector had to implement a drasticrestructuring which lead to the closure ofalmost half our factories and the loss of half ourworkforce (more on that in section 3).

Last year has been a historic year for our sector.In December 2013 the EU decided to put anend, by 2017, to the quota system that has sofar provided a reliable and stable framework forthe sector while protecting the EU marketagainst the excessive volatility of the worldsugar market. As a result of this new reform, thewhole economic organisation of the EU sugarsector will fundamentally change. It will befaced with more volatility and instability causedby a variety of factors. Some of these factorsare out of our control, for example greatercompetition from isoglucose, exchange ratefluctuations, and governmental support to ourcompetitors worldwide. We should continue to

Johann Marihart CEFS President

Harald Wiedenhofer EFFAT General Secretary

Welcome to this 11th edition of the EU sugar industry CSR report whichcelebrates its past 10 years of existence and looks with confidence intothe numerous challenges that lie ahead for the sector in the next decade.

support consistency between the CommonAgriculture Policy and the EU’s trade policy, andoppose concessions which risk generatingmarket imbalances due to increased imports ofnon-preferential sugar that the EU marketcannot absorb (more on that in section 4).

What lies ahead is the challenge to remain, as asector, a model of overall sustainability byfocusing on the factors we can influence. First,by becoming even more competitive, throughimprovements in agricultural techniques andplant breeding and, in the factories, through thereduction of energy consumption anddeveloping further the potential of sugarfactories as bio-based refineries. Second, byassessing in full our environmental impact,identifying and promoting good environmentalpractices and ultimately, by further improvingour key processes and technologies. Finally,from a social perspective, we aim to furtherdisseminate the good social practices resultingfrom the European CSR Code of Conduct, andcontinue our joint work in other areas such asadaptation to socio-demographic changes.

Economic, environmental and socialsustainability are therefore the three pillars onwhich we rely to remain an important actor inthe local economy, providing quality jobs andbusiness opportunities in the EU rural areaswhere sugar industries are located.

The EU Sugar Industry I 4 I CSR Report 2013

A decade implementing the industry CSR Code of Conduct: our joint work strengthens our confidence for the challenges lying ahead

A joint letter from the Chairmen

2

EIGHT minimum standards on:

1. Human Rights

2. Education, Vocational and Lifelong Training

3. Health and Safety

4. Relationship Between the Social Partners

5. Fair Pay

6. Working Conditions

7. Restructuring

8. Business Relations and Choice of Suppliers

The Code of Conduct and its associated Good Practices are available in the common website of the social partners

www.eurosugar.org

The EU Sugar Industry I 5 I CSR Report 2013

What is the EU CSR Code of Conduct ?

GOOD PRACTICES in the

implementation of the Code of

Conduct are monitored every year

and a number of them are added to

the list of good practices for each

of the eight minimum standards.The Code of Conduct has been

assessed in accordance with

ISO 26000 guidance on social

responsibility and the

2011 UN framework

on business and human rights.

Companies aim not only to respect

those minimum standards but also to

implement those principles BEYOND

their legal obligations.

3

Beet and sugar production in the EU is basedon a market organisation, known as thecommon market organisation of the sugarsector or sugar CMO1. In 2006, this CMO wasthoroughly reformed leading to a largereduction in quota sugar production. Key to thereform was a 36% cut in the reference sugarprice and the removal of the interventionmechanism that guaranteed a minimum sugarprice. Measures were taken to compensatefarmers and a restructuring fund, funded bysugar producers, was set up to encourage lesscompetitive sugar producers to leave theindustry.

In the years leading up to and following theadoption of the CMO reform, the number of EUsugar factories has fallen sharply as theindustry has undergone major restructuringdriven by the need to improve efficiency.Virtually every country and region in the EU hasbeen affected. In the EU-27, beet sugarproduction was distributed among 18 EUcountries, as opposed to 23 before therestructuring, with 70% ofthe productionconcentrated in7 countries.

Since the accession of Croatia to the EU inJune 2013, there are 19 beet sugar producingcountries in the EU-28.

This restructuring process has been radical. Inthe period 2000-2005, 68 factories were closed,an average of 11 per year. Between 2006 and2008 a further 83 factories were closed. This isalmost 28 per year, i.e. more than twice thepace compared to 2000-2005, resulting in anoverall reduction of 60% of Europeanprocessing capacity between 2000 and 2008.At the same time, average factory size hascontinued to increase, in particular in WesternEuropean countries (EU 15) which representabout 85% of the total EU beet sugarproduction.

The number of employees in the sector hasfollowed suit. Between 2004 and 2009, forexample, the number of employees in thesector has fallen by 44%.2

Despite this reduction, the sugar industryretains an important economic function in ruralareas, where it guarantees jobs and trainingpositions. As well as processing sugar beet,sugar factories are a partner for numerous smallbusinesses and ancillary suppliers. Taking intoaccount both direct and indirect employment,the beet sugar industry in the EU supportstoday about 180,000 jobs and contributes tothe revenue of 150,000 farms.

(1) The common market organisation (CMO) for sugar was established in 1968 to ensure a fair income to Community sugar producersand self-supply of the Community market. In 2006 a major reform lead to simplification and greater market orientation of the EU'ssugar policy, which is now part of the Single Common Market Organisation (CMO). EU sugar policy currently concerns three mainareas: quota management, a reference price and a minimum guaranteed price to growers, and trade measures. (Source: EuropeanCommission’s website http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/sugar/index_en.htm Last accessed on 10 February 2013)

(2) Source for all figures regarding the changes in the sector structure: CEFS Sugar Statistics (http://www.comitesucre.org/site/statistics).

Source CEFS - CIBE

The EU Sugar Industry I 6 I CSR Report 2013

Where are we coming from:the EU Sugar Reform from 2006 until Today

EU sugar production per country (%)

La Réunion Guadeloupe Martinique

Sugar beet areaBeet sugar factoryBeet ethanol factoryCane sugar refineryCombined beet &cane sugar refinery

24

23

107

6

43

33

13

3

FranceGermanyPolandUKThe NetherlandsBelgiumItalySpainAustriaCzech RepublicOther

4

EFFAT and the European Committee of SugarProducers (CEFS) carried out a campaign over2012 and early 2013 to secure the prolongationof the current sugar CMO until 2020 as theinitial proposal from the Commission foresawthe end of the quotas in 2015. They were joinedin their efforts by the European beet growers(CIBE) and the African, Caribbean and Pacific(ACP) countries. Despite a major success at theEuropean Parliament, which supported theprolongation of the sugar CMO until 2020, apolitical compromise was struck under the Irishpresidency of the EU on 26 June 2013 andsettled for a phase out of the quotas in 2017, 2years more than the initial Commissionproposal.

The end of the current Single CMO for sugarmarks a historical moment for the sector. Bothsocial partners CEFS and EFFAT have asked forthe prolongation of the Single CMO for sugaruntil 2020 because (1) it provides the sectorwith predictability and stability – it countersworld market instability, thus securing stablesupply, (2) it enables the European sugar sectorto continue to optimise its competitiveness andefficiency and (3) it provides, according to EUinternational commitments, the Least

Key milestones:

• The Commission presented on 18 November 2010 a Communication on "The CAP towards2020", which outlined options for the future CAP and launched the debate with the otherinstitutions and with stakeholders.

• On 12 October 2011 the Commission presented a set of legal proposals designed to make theCAP a more effective policy for a more competitive and sustainable agriculture and vibrantrural areas.

• On 26 June 2013 a political agreement on the reform of the CAP has been reached betweenthe Commission, the European Parliament and the Council.

• On 16 December 2013 the Council of EU Agriculture Ministers formally adopted the four BasicRegulations for the reformed CAP as well as the Transition Rules for 2014. This follows on theapproval of these Regulations by the European Parliament in November 2013.

• On 20 December 2013 the four Basic Regulations and the Transition Rules were published inthe Official Journal of the EU.

Developed Countries and ACP developingcountries with more time to invest in theirinfrastructure.

This decision comes soon after the drasticreform carried out in 2006 in which the sector,together with social partners, acted responsiblyby restructuring. This saw, as alreadymentioned, the closure of 83 factories (one intwo) and the loss of more than 22,000 directjobs. Ending the current Single CMO for sugarthree years earlier than planned (from 2020 to2017) without the correct mechanisms in placerisks undermining the sector’s efforts tobecome more efficient at a time when it iscontinuing to optimise its competitiveness inorder to compete on the world market on anequal footing after 2017.

As a result of the CAP reform approved inDecember 2013, the whole economicorganisation of the EU sugar sector willfundamentally change. Quotas and marketintervention tools will disappear, and the EUsugar sector will face more internal competitionwith isoglucose. It will become one of the mostliberal systems in the world, in contrast to manyof its competitors which support their industries

The EU Sugar Industry I 7 I CSR Report 2013

Anticipating and preparing for change:the social dimension of the reform of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post 2013

4

The EU Sugar Industry I 8 I CSR Report 2013

in various forms. For example, State subsidy inthe Brazilian sugar and ethanol industriesmakes it even harder for EU producers tobridge the competitive gap with Brazil.

In addition, having already fully opened itsborders (duty free – quota free) to all itspreferential suppliers i.e. Least DevelopedCountries (LDCs) and ACP countries, the EUhas recently granted additional concessions toUkraine, Colombia, Peru, Central AmericanCountries and Canada. Unfortunately, the EUsugar sector is no longer in a position to absorbany further imports which would concedemarket share on a permanent basis to the EU’smain competitors, to the detriment of EUdomestic production and the EU’s traditionalpreferential trade patterns, particularly thosewith ACPs and LDCs.

Furthermore, the Commission’s recent report‘The Prospects for Agricultural Markets andIncomes in the EU 2013-2023’ suggests thatthe EU sugar price could fall to €408/t in 2017when the market is liberalised. At this price, theaverage EU sugar production costs will not be

covered, and storage aid funded by the EUbudget is highly likely to be triggered. Thiswould also force the EU sugar sector to have torestructure again, jeopardizing jobs in Europe.Those changes would no doubt produce long-wave social consequences that social partnersneed to anticipate very quickly and that willrequire extra efforts to elaborate and organizesocially acceptable responses.

Legal clarity, market stability and a responsiblemarket management by the Commission,particularly towards the end of sugar quotas, isof the upmost importance for the industry.Workable and reliable technical provisions needto be implemented to guarantee the sector’sfuture. Additional market measures like newimports or the release of out of quota sugar onthe EU market need to be used only if they arenecessary and if market conditions so require it.

5

- Training on leadership, communication and conflict managementA

The EU Sugar Industry I 9 I CSR Report 2013

Focus on some good practices reported in 2013under the CSR Code of Conduct

and included networking opportunities in theevening. Practical education, with simulationfrom examples of the everyday life of theperson being trained, played a large role inidentifying the participants’ training needs interms of leadership, communication andconflict management. The training workshopitself was preceded by intensive preparation(interviews between participants and theirclosest managers) and follow-up activities(feedback interviews and agreement oneducation goals) with adequate record-keepingthroughout the process.

Results and evaluation:

Concerning the social responsibility of thecompany the following positive results wereidentified from the initiative:

• Assisted the management with an appropriateaction plan to take their leadership tasks seriously.

• Improved the cooperation and handling ofconflicts.

• Made the employees more satisfied.

• Contributed to the motivation of theemployees.

• Supported the employees at a time when thecompany is developing.

• Allowed the company to be at the forefront ofdemographic changes.

Contact:If you would like to know more about this good practiceplease contact:

Mrs .Ines Lindner-Klaeden Phone:+49 531 2411 – 313Fax:+49 531 2411 – 107E-mail: ines.lindner-klaeden@nordzucker.de

CSR standards concerned:Education & Training.

Place and time of implementation:Germany, 2013.

Theme: Leadership, communicationand conflict management for engineers and foremen.

The context:

Nordzucker has a large number of engineersand foremen who have been in managementpositions for many years, and the companyneeds to find successors. The challenge is toupdate the current knowledge of the people inmanagement positions and at the same time toallow young, higher-education engineers andforemen to take over management positions inthe future. The idea is to develop a concept foremployees who already have some leadershipknowledge to get an “update” and to getemployees with less leadership knowledge tohelp them with the transfer from theory topractice.

The goals of the initiative:

• Upgrading leadership competences.

• Creating a common leadership concept.

• Creating a sustainable education process.

• Increase employee satisfaction.

• A learning scenario where several generationsare “learning together”.

• Increasing networking between the sites.

The project in practice:

The target group was composed ofapproximately 100 engineers and foremen. The training workshop took place over two days

➜

➜

➜

5

- Dealing with longer campaigns: workplace health promotion projectB

The EU Sugar Industry I 10 I CSR Report 2013

committee, the implementation starts. At theend of two years, there will be a new employeesurvey to measure the progress. First stage ofthe project:

• Learning how to deal with stress.

• Personal health and safety trainings forseasonal campaign workers.

• Trainings to maintain the work-life balance;feeling responsible and keeping a balancednutrition when working in shift.

• Workshops about ‘acting more than reacting’.

Second stage:

• Groups are working on special solutions forpeople which are working in shifts.

• Employee survey to measure the success ofthe project.

Results and evaluation:

The training activities and group work started in2013. First solutions, which had been workedout by the employees, are alreadyimplemented. The main success of the projectso far is that the employees improved anddeveloped their own resources in a more activeway and ensured that when a problem occursthey will find together a common solution.

CSR standards concerned:Restructuring, Working Conditions,Education & Training...

Place and time of implementation:Austria, 2012-2013.

Theme: Dealing with longer campaigns: Workplace HealthPromotion Project.

The context:

The restructuring of sugar factories due to theEU sugar reform that started in 2006 and lasteduntil 2009 has led to a progressiveconcentration of production from closedfactories into the remaining ones. In practicethis means longer processing campaigns forthe factories which can be a source of stress-related issues.

The goals of the initiative:

In August 2012 AGRANA Sugar (plants in Tulln& Leopoldsdorf) and the Zuckerforschung Tullnstarted with the implementation of the Project“Workplace Health Promotion”. The purpose ofthe Project is to secure the needs of ouremployees regarding health care, social welfareand better working conditions during the shiftand in general.

The project in practice:

The Project duration is two years. Starting withan employee survey, the employees have thepossibility to work within quality circles on theirtopics and find critical solutions. Afterpresenting these solutions to a steering

➜

➜

➜

5

- Burn-out training and conciliation of family life in Südzucker GermanyC

The EU Sugar Industry I 11 I CSR Report 2013

The project in practice:

The learning project was divided into twomodules. Module 1 covered the topics of:

• Work-life balance, including a personal lifebalance check and the issue of permanentaccessibility due to new technologies,

• ‘Access to your own resources’ through theLIFO method to identify behavioral strengthsunder (un-)/favorable circumstances as wellas how our own behavior can be perceived byothers.

• Everyday stress (in general), focusing onstress triggers, identifying behavioralresponses to stress, good and bad levels ofstress, etc.

Under Module 2, participants worked on thefollowing:

• Everyday stress, with a more individual focus,linking individual strength profiles analysedunder the LIFO method and stress situations.It also introduced participants to differentrelaxation methods and their adequatenessfor different individual profiles.

• ‘Between success and burn-out’ covered theburn-out signals, the phases of burn-out andmeasures for its prevention.

• ‘Self-Management – live better and morerelaxed’: this section aimed to put together allthe knowledge gained during module 1 and 2putting it in the context of daily practice andproviding tips for greater awareness andmood management.

Results and evaluation:

The training activities started in 2013 and thefirst feedback shows that the participants havelearnt to know better their own patterns ofbehaviour, their individual stress factors andespecially the need to develop their ownresources in a more active way in order to avoidburn out problems.

CSR standards concerned:Restructuring, Working Conditions,Education & Training...

Place and time of implementation:Germany, 2013.

Theme: More Success by active Self-Management: How to realize, use and develop own resources.

The context:

A successful career, a fulfilled life, health andthe feeling of living a meaningful life - a niceimagination, a longing desire, an unrealisticutopia? Instead of that: "I am stressed!" is theomnipresent cry in our time.

But how do we get the many necessities of lifeand working obligations in a good balance?How can we make sense when dealing withstress? How can we make good use of our ownenergy, to exploit our own resources andreduce energy blockages and finally achieve ourgoals, instead of living with them in a state ofwar?

The goals of the initiative:

• To help participants get an insight into theirown behaviour

• Learn to deal with their stress,

• Learn to maintain their work-life balance in abetter and productive way, through the use oftheir own resources

• Learn to act more and react less.

• To help employees in achieving their goalswith more serenity and joy.

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➜

➜

6 Why sustainability?

Sustainability is amultidimensional conceptthat encompasseseconomic viability,environmental protectionand social responsibility.With its flagship ‘Europe2020 strategy’ the EU hasput sustainability at theheart of the Europeanproject with the purpose ofcreating conditions ofgrowth that is ‘smarter,more sustainable andmore inclusive’.

This partnership agreement between Europeanbeet growers, sugar producers and tradeunions in the beet sugar sector aims to reporton good agricultural, industrial, social andenvironmental practices for the sector whiletaking into account the relevant elements ofeconomic viability needed for stable andreliable beet sugar production in the EU.

Why now?

European beet sugar production has achievedhigh levels of sustainability through continuousimprovement in all three dimensions ofsustainability (economic, environmental andsocial) in recent decades. Their more recentsustainability performance is recorded in thejoint environmental and social projects set up inthe last decade and still ongoing (see ‘further

In October 2013, The European beet growers (CIBE), sugar producers(CEFS) and trade unions of the food and agriculture sector (EFFAT)publicly announced a landmark agreement to jointly highlight and reporton representative Good Practices of sustainable production of beet sugarin the EU.

reading’ section at the end of this document).The three partners of the European beet sugarsector acknowledge that in order to ensure thelong-term sustainability of their sector theymust continue to develop and disseminategood practices that support the consolidationof sustainable practices in EU beet growing andprocessing. Hence, through a commonunderstanding of what constitutes sustainableproduction of beet sugar in Europe, thepartners’ aims are:

1. To facilitate the access to anddissemination of knowledge regardingsustainable practices in the sector.

2. To help consolidate sustainable practicesin EU beet growing and processing.

3. To provide a platform for future dialogue inthe field of sustainability with other sectorstakeholders.

How will the project be carried out?

The partners have agreed to create a workingplatform, including a steering committee andthree technical working groups, coveringnotably agriculture, industrial and socialaspects of beet sugar production in Europe. Inaddition, partners intend to involve externalexpertise to provide independent advice forthis partnership.

The EU Sugar Industry I 12 I CSR Report 2013

Joint projects developed in 2013 involving the social partners

- The EU beet sugar sustainability partnershipA

The EU Sugar Industry I 12 I CSR Report 2013

6

The partners will be working together, engagingin a constructive dialogue and exchange withother stakeholders, while managing the overall

What topics will be dealt with in this sustainability partnership?

Although only the joint work of the partners and, later on, the consultation of stakeholders willdetermine the final outcome of this joint work, the partners have agreed that as many topics aspossible should be looked at, including at least the following:

process to deliver a concrete outcome for thesector within the following timeline:

The EU Sugar Industry I 13 I CSR Report 2013

A first draft of Good

Practices in the

sustainable production

of beet sugar in the EU

to be ready for

consultation with

relevant stakeholders

of the beet sugar chain

(by 2014)

➜Outcome of the

consultation to be

incorporated into the

first version of

‘Good Practices’

(end of 2014)

➜A collaboration

platform to be set up in

order to disseminate

and further exchange

on ‘Good Practices’

(early 2015)

Agriculture

Processing Social

• Biodiversity• Input use• Energy• Fertilizer use• Logistics• Plant protection• Soil quality• water

• Business ethics• Education & training• Working conditions• Fair pay• Health and safety• Human rights• Restructuring• Social dialogue

Chemicals •Energy •

Greenhouse gases •Local impacts •

Logistics •Waste •Water •

6

Background

One of the key topics that emerged during thediscussions in the Social Dialogue Plenary inthe EU sugar sector in 2012 were the concernsregarding succession planning and theincreasing age of the sugar industry’sworkforce.

As in most manufacturing sectors and in the EUpopulation in general, the increase in lifeexpectancy and retirement age in most EU 27countries is calling on social partners in varioussectors to reflect upon new ways to ensuresuccessful succession planning (involving asmooth transition and the transmission ofknow-how to the new generation of workers) aswell as health-related management issues, inparticular for older workers.

Over the past 10 years, the sugar sector hasalso been particularly hit by a massive wave ofrestructurings. One of the challenges has beento manage such changes and theconsequences those changes can have for themood of employees and its health impacts,including socio-psychological risks. Socialpartners would therefore like to continue theirexploration of the issue to draw lessons fromthe experience of the sugar sector in this fieldand to encourage their members to mainstreamthe topic of health at the workplace (includingpsychosocial risks).

Youth employment also enters the picture as ithas now clearly become a major social andeconomic problem in the EU. Despite thedifficult restructurings it has faced over theyears, the EU sugar industry has a role to playin providing young people with access to thelabour market, in particular in rural areas.

Project description

The study includes the following dimensions:

1. Socio-demographic features of the EU sugarindustry workforce.

2. Measures to promote active ageing.

3. Measures specifically addressing successionplanning and transmission of know-how.

4. Measures promoting access of youngworkers to the EU sugar industry.

5. Job profiles in high demand in the EU sugarindustry.

6. Conclusions and recommendations forfurther social partners’ actions.

Data has been gathered through a survey of EUsugar companies and trade unions in the sugarsector between October 2013 and February2014. Partial results were discussed during ajoint technical group meeting on 24 October2013. A final draft report is expected to beadopted in the first half of 2014. Results will bereported in greater detail in next year’s CSRReport.

The EU Sugar Industry I 14 I CSR Report 2013

- Socio-demographic mapping of the industryB

7

The EU Sugar Industry I 15 I CSR Report 2013

Our CSR objectives for 2014 and beyond

Objectives Timing Status

For good social practices

Monitor the implementation of the 2014-15EU Code of Conduct in 2014-15

Update the Good Social Practices in the 2014-15social partners’ website www.eurosugar.org

Identify and further develop issues resulting 2014-15from the demographic analysis conducted in 2013-14

For competitiveness & fair competition

Monitor the evolution of the EU Sugar Regime with a special focus on its economic and social 2014-2015impact for the sector.

Monitor the evolution of the EU Industrial and Trade Policy with a special focus on their economic 2014-2015and social impact of bilateral trade agreements.

For the environment

Support the technical work of the 2014-15EU Sustainability Partnership on Beet Sugar.

Set up Partnership formal communication 2014-16with other stakeholders.

For transparency and communication

Continue to develop the accessibility of the 2014-16CSR report to a broader public.

Update the current social partner’s website. 2015-16

� On track� Project yet to be set up

The EU Sugar Industry I 16 I CSR Report 2013

ANNEX - Company CSR Reports Published in 2013*

AB Sugar – partial report within Associated Bristish FoodsCSR report 2013.

Geographical coverage within the EU: UK, ES. Time coverage: until 2013Topics: Selection of CSR topics.Remarks: E-source: http://www.abf.co.uk/responsibility

Agrana Group – CSR/Sustainability report 2012/13

Geographical coverage within the EU (sugar): AT, CZ, HU, RO, SK. Time coverage: until 2012.Topics: Selection of CSR topics.Remarks: Selection of indicators based on Global reporting Initiative (GRI), G3.1. E-source: http://www.agrana.com/en/pr/downloads/

Nordzucker Group – CSR/Sustainability report 2012/13

Geographical coverage within the EU: DE, DK, FIN, LITH, SVE, PL. Time coverage: until 2012.Topics: Overall sustainability (economic, environmental, social)Remarks: Broad selection of indicators based on Global reporting Initiative (GRI), G3.1.

Includes materiality analysis and matrix (AccountAbility).E-source: http://www.nordzucker.de/en/company/downloads.html

Suiker Unie Group – Sustainability report 2012/13

Geographical coverage within the EU: NL. Time coverage: 2012.Topics: Overall sustainability (economic, environmental, social)Remarks: Broad selection of indicators based on Global reporting Initiative (GRI).E-source: http://www.suikerunie.com/Sustainability.aspx

(*) This includes all reports known to us and/or communicated to us by sugar companies.

EFFATEuropean Federation of Food, Agriculture and TourismTrade Unions

38, Bte 3 Rue du Fossé-aux-Loups1000 Brussels

effat@effat.org

CEFSComité Européendes Fabricants de Sucre

182 Avenue de Tervuren1150 Brussels

Tel: + 32 (0) 2 762 07 60cefs@cefs.org

CEFS, founded in 1953 represents all

European beet sugar manufacturers

and cane sugar refiners, covering

sugar production in 21 EU countries

plus Switzerland.

EFFAT, results from the merger of

two European federations (ECF-IUF

and EFA) in 2000. It represents

120 national trade unions from

35 European countries, defending

the interests of more than 2.6 million

members in the food, agriculture and

tourism sectors.