CAEI sugar mill gets ProTerra Foundation’s sustainability kudos

San Pedro, Dominican Republic.- The Cristóbal Colón sugar mill, owned by the CAEI group, obtained the ProTerra Foundation’s certification for its sustainability policy, becoming the firs facility of its type in the country and the Caribbean in achieve the recognition.

“This accreditation confirms that CAEI’s management practices promote sustainable economic performance, while encouraging social well-being and environmental preservation,” CAEI said in an emailed statement..

The mill complied with the basic indicators of the standard, including an absence of forced labor and child labor, as well as the right of its employees to freely organize and collective bargaining.

“The company complied satisfactorily with other indicators, secured in the culture of continuous improvement,” the industrial group said.

“Through this certification, ProTerra ensures that Ingenio Cristóbal Colón has demonstrated the ability to implement, monitor and responsible and sustainable agricultural production, in all stages of its production chain.”

CAEI executive vice president Alberto Potes called the certification a historic achievement for the Dominican sugar industry. “We feel rejoiced and proud because this new standard is a product of the work we do to continually produce sugar with the DNA which identifies us and which motorizes us to achieve better benefits for Dominican for society.”

Sugar mill

CAEI is one of the units of the company managed by Putney Capital Management, an affiliate of the INICIA conglomerate, of the Vicini family.