BP Bunge highlights the potential of Brazilian ethanol in Japan

In a joint effort to promote the decarbonization of air transport, experts, policymakers, regulators and industry representatives from Japan and Brazil’s bioenergy sector met at an innovative international seminar, promoted by ÚNICA (Brazilian Sugarcane and Bioenergy Industry Association), in cooperation with the Brazilian Embassy in Tokyo, and with the support of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ApexBrasil (Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency). The event – which took place on December 13 – aimed to foster dialogue between the two nations and will explore the potential of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), as well as sharing Brazil’s experience in ethanol production.

For Ricardo Carvalho, commercial and origination director at BP Bunge Bioenergia, the meeting represents an important milestone in Brazil-Japan cooperation and highlights the commitment of both nations to tackling global challenges related to climate change and sustainability. “The expectation is that the exchange of knowledge and experiences will result in significant advances in the search for environmentally responsible solutions in the aviation sector. Ethanol is already responsible for decarbonizing the land transport matrix and is now showing its potential to decarbonize the air as well,” he says.

Certification for ethanol production for SAF

The energy transition and the sustainability of its products are priority issues for BP Bunge and, in October, the company made further progress in this direction. This is because the company received the ISCC CORSIA (Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation) certification, which confirms that the ethanol produced complies with international standards and can be used as raw material for the production of SAF.

With the certification of the biofuel produced at the Ouroeste (SP) unit, BP Bunge is reinforcing the role of ethanol produced from sugarcane as one of the solutions to meet the growing need for global decarbonization. “There is more than one way to solve the energy transition. However, ethanol from sugarcane is the solution that Brazil already has available, with scale, ready for use and with potential for different applications, such as SAF”, explains Carvalho.

Ethanol on the foreign market

The achievement of ISCC CORSIA certification represents an important step that should strengthen the company’s business on a front that is already very promising: ethanol exports, an operation in which BP Bunge has large markets as clients, such as the United States and Europe, which focus more on ethanol for fuel purposes, i.e. for use as a real fuel; while Japan and Korea use ethanol for other purposes, such as in the cosmetics and beverages industries.

BP Bunge produces approximately 1.5 million cubic meters of ethanol per harvest. Of this amount, 20% is exported – the equivalent of 300,000 cubic meters. This sales operation to the foreign market has seen robust growth in the indicators, with an increase in turnover of more than 290% between the 21/22 and 22/23 harvests alone, rising from BRL 151 million to BRL 539 million.