Global Market Report: Sugar

The report examines the global sugarcane market, noting that while demand is growing in Asia and Africa, it is stagnating in developed countries due to health concerns. It highlights the rise of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs), which grew at a compound annual growth rate of about 52% from 2008 to 2016, though sales have not kept pace with production. The document identifies significant sustainability risks, including land grabbing, forced labor, and greenhouse gas emissions from field burning, and suggests that expanding VSSs in low human development countries like Sudan and Uganda could catalyze development benefits.

• Sugarcane serves as both a food and fuel source, providing 86% of the world's sugar, with 75% of global production consumed by food manufacturing and the remainder used for biofuels.
• Global demand for sugarcane is expected to grow in Asia and Africa due to population growth, urbanization, and rising incomes, while demand in developed countries is expected to stagnate due to health concerns like obesity and diabetes and government interventions.
• The sugarcane sector faces severe sustainability challenges, including documented land grabbing in Brazil (Mato Grosso do Sul and Pernambuco), Sierra Leone, Indonesia, Kenya, Zambia, Mali, and Cambodia, as well as forced and child labor in Brazil, India, and Thailand.
• Environmental impacts of sugarcane cultivation include water stress, with approximately 30% of production occurring in high or extremely high water stress areas, and air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from field burning.
• Voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) in the sugarcane sector experienced a compound annual growth rate of about 52% from 2008 to 2016, accounting for at least 3.2% of total production in 2016.
• There is a supply-demand imbalance for VSS-compliant sugar; while corporate commitments from companies like Coca-Cola and Nestlé drive demand, consumer willingness to pay higher prices and a lack of product traceability limit market growth.
• Low human development countries (LHDCs) produced only 2% of total sugarcane and 2% of VSS-compliant sugarcane in 2016; Sudan and Uganda are identified as having the most potential for VSS growth among LHDCs.

APA

Voora, V., Bermúdez, S., & Larrea, C. (2019). Global Market Report: Sugar. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ssi-global-market-report-sugar.pdf

Chicago

Voora, Vivek, Steffany Bermúdez, and Cristina Larrea. Global Market Report: Sugar. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2019. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ssi-global-market-report-sugar.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Voora |first1=Vivek |last2=Bermúdez |first2=Steffany |last3=Larrea |first3=Cristina |title=Global Market Report: Sugar |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2019 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ssi-global-market-report-sugar.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{voora2019global, author = {Voora, Vivek and Bermúdez, Steffany and Larrea, Cristina}, title = {{Global Market Report: Sugar}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2019}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/ssi-global-market-report-sugar.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }