PureCircle CEO highlights sustainable initiatives at Responsible Business

Published: 20-May-2014

Aims to place stevia in the mainstream as the next natural global sweetener


PureCircle CEO Magomet Malsagov will participate in a panel discussion on sustainable innovation today (20 May) in London at the Responsible Business Summit, a conference focused on global ethical business. His participation will highlight not only the global leadership of PureCircle as a producer and marketer of high-purity stevia products, but also its pioneering work embedding sustainability initiatives into each part of the company’s supply chain.

'This is an integral facet of our mission to mainstream stevia as the next natural global sweetener,' said Malsagov. 'From the outset, we’ve woven sustainability into our business model –reducing environmental impact, enhancing ecosystem benefits and positively impacting public health benefits by making it possible to remove calories with our zero-calorie sweetener. Owning our vertical supply chain allows us to innovate and create new products, while linking it back to every stage of our supply chain.'

PureCircle helps farmers on four continents to increase their income and standard of living by supplying them with technology, financing, expertise, seedlings and a guaranteed minimum price for their crops. For example in China, PureCircle has invested US$3.2m in providing local smallhold farmers with nursery greenhouses, cuttings, training and price guarantees. In Kenya, the company is assisting farmers through a team of 120 agronomists and enabling microfinance. And in Paraguay, PureCircle is working closely with the government to help farmers raise their incomes by successfully growing stevia.

We believe corporate responsibility and sustainable business practices both enrich our communities and support our business goals

'At our core, we believe that corporate responsibility and sustainable business practices both enrich our communities and support our business goals,' said Malsagov.

Working with sustainability experts, PureCircle is able to compute the benefits of using its stevia as a replacement for other natural caloric sweeteners. For instance, for every 10mt of PureCircle stevia sold, there is an estimated 2,000mt of greenhouse gas prevented, 4.5 billion litres of consumptive water saved and 20 billion calories eliminated.

'In addition we’re supporting sustainable agri-practices in Kenya, Paraguay and China,' said Malsagov. 'And we support bio-waste conversion into organic fertiliser on farms and within our manufacturing plants.'

All of these initiatives fit into the company’s vision to positively affect the environmental and caloric impact of the global food and beverage industry. 'We’ve set ambitious goals to lessen our impact across our supply chain from farm to sweetener.'

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