Special Report - Sugar Ecolabel: Dust-Free Sugar Elevating Thai Sugarcane to International Sustainability

Historically, sugarcane farmers faced social criticism for being a factor that exacerbated PM 2.5 dust pollution through pre-harvest burning to reduce labor costs and facilitate cutting, creating ongoing pressure on farmers and the industry. In recent months, the Office of Cane and Sugar under the Ministry of Industry announced a goal to reduce burned sugarcane to 0%, establishing systematic guidelines to promote fresh cane cutting and concretely reduce environmental air quality impacts. Bai Noi Suwanchatri, Secretary of the Cane and Sugar Committee, noted that through cooperation from all sectors - including government, private sugar factories, and sugarcane farmers - the 2025/26 production season has dramatically reduced burned sugarcane to just 2.46% from previous levels of 70%, marking a historic achievement in reducing PM 2.5 issues. Recently, the office collaborated with the Food Institute to develop Thailand's first Sugar Ecolabel environmental certification system, creating a systematic policy mechanism aligned with the Ministry of Industry's MIND as One policy, which integrates collaboration to elevate industries while caring for the environment and people's quality of life. The voluntary project allows sugar factories to participate, serving as a pilot approach to connect policy with actual implementation across the supply chain. The core of the Sugar Ecolabel is promoting fresh cane cutting, reducing field burning, controlling production emissions, and creating added brand value through a collaborative mechanism connecting upstream and downstream production with sugar factories at the center.