By Sasha Ramjathan, Consumer Packaged Goods Segment Lead at Schneider Electric

In terms of volumes produced, South Africa's sugar industry ranks in the top 15 out of about 120 sugar-producing countries globally, according to a report by Research and Markets. This sector significantly contributes to employment, particularly in rural areas, sustainable development and the national economy.

The industry encompasses a wide range of activities, including the cultivation of sugarcane and the subsequent production of raw and refined sugar, syrups, specialised sugars, and various by-products. The industry as a whole is involved in the entire process from growing and harvesting sugarcane to the manufacturing and distribution of its numerous products.

However, similar to any other industry, it faces various challenges, including fluctuating market demands, environmental concerns, and ever-changing consumer preferences. When navigating these complexities, collaboration becomes a crucial strategy for attaining sustainable growth.

Fuelled by consumer demand for ethically sourced and environmentally friendly products, sustainability has become a growing priority within the sugar industry. Collaborative efforts to adopt sustainable practices not only benefit the environment but also create value for stakeholders throughout the supply chain. This includes implementing measures to reduce water usage, minimise waste and promote biodiversity.

Holistic approach

Global leaders in sustainability consulting, such as Schneider Electric, take a holistic approach to helping their customers reduce their environmental footprint and meet sustainability goals.

To achieve this, the company can help the sugar industry in the following ways:

• End-to-end decarbonisation: Tackling energy challenges by creating an optimised way to access reliable, green and resilient energy.
• Efficient and sustainable operations: Meeting energy and sustainability goals and reducing costs with smart energy, water and waste management.
• Minimise footprint on the environment: Reduce the impact on the planet by helping farmers improve productivity and better manage the usage of resources.
• Responsible end-to-end value chain: Increase visibility across the entire value chain, from raw materials to finished goods, to improve transparency and build a sustainable value chain.

Schneider Electric’s technology offerings, such as EcoStruxure Plant for agricultural technology, empower sugar producers to adopt precision agriculture techniques and implement automation. This enables farmers to achieve the greatest volume and quality of produce possible while reducing operating costs and maximising farmers’ profitability by growing smart.

Balancing profitability with environmental responsibility

Sustainable practices in sugar production involve strategies aimed at balancing profitability with environmental responsibility. Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Plant solution, with integrated software and domain expertise, was recently implemented at a KwaZulu-Natal-based sugar mill that needed to improve uptime with a scalable and expandable solution. The mill also required more operational information, as well as local support and expertise. Additionally, process control optimisation at the mill was not possible with its current systems.

Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Plant solution simplified process optimisation and delivered a modern, high-performance programmable logic controller (PLC) system with high availability in remote IO and hot standby. The mill achieved significantly reduced downtime and improved operational information thanks to the new software standards. Schneider Electric also provided expert local support and in-house first-line support.

Achieving a balance between making a profit and being environmentally responsible in sugar production requires a holistic approach that considers economic viability alongside social and environmental impacts. Thus, continuous improvement, innovation and collaboration with industry leaders in sustainability consulting are key for sugar producers’ sustainable practices to evolve and succeed in the long term.