Embedded Files
Source: Harvard Health
Social Justice Issues on the Sugar Front (info from USDA.gov)
Based on an analysis of the Government of Brazil’s 2015 National Household Survey, an estimated 5,503 child laborers cultivate sugarcane
Cultivation of sugarcane exposes individuals to extremely high temperatures and lack of protective equipment
Many children get injured on the job, including skin infections and cuts from sharp cane leaves or knives
Many sugarcane workers earn as little as $10/month
About Sugarcane
A water-intensive crop
Planting of sugarcane around the world has led to significant impacts on biodiversity
It takes 10 gallons of water to make 1 pound of refined cane sugar
Sugarcane production often pollutes freshwater ecosystems with silt and fertilizers washed from farms
Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, where sugarcane farming is prevalent, has been reduced to 7% of its size due to deforestation
Sugarcane plantations require clearing each year, which causes floods because the soil is so damaged
Sugarcane grows exclusively in the tropical and subtropical zones
Source: The Guardian
Sugar Alternatives
👎🏻Honey👎🏻
👎🏻Honey👎🏻
Least sustainable
Relies on bees, which are at risk of extinction
Commercially farmed honeybees live in crowded and inhumane living conditions
Conventional beekeeping practices are heavily industrialized
If wildflowers are sprayed with pesticides, it is harmful to honeybees
Extremely time consuming
Coconut Sugar
Coconut Sugar
Mildly sustainable
Coconut palm trees cannot produce both coconuts and coconut palm sugar
Vast amount of child and unpaid labor in the coconut industry (aim for fairtrade)
Does not require invasive sourcing
Not particularly water-intensive
👍🏻Maple Syrup👍🏻
👍🏻Maple Syrup👍🏻
Most sustainable
Can be made by trees grown without pesticides
Do not require annual tilling
Very little transport required
Maple trees can yield sap for over 100 years (renewable!)
Even dead trees can produce sap for maple syrup
Page updated
Report abuse