Ethanol Becomes a 'Sustainable' Option for the Airline Industry, but Slavery in Sugarcane Is a Concern

by Poliana Dallabrida ( Repórter Brasil) Plants certified to produce jet fuel have been linked to recent cases of slave labor and deaths in sugarcane fields. The increase in reported labor abuses is partly due to the growing outsourcing of labor for planting -- ... In January, LanzaJet, the first manufacturer of ethanol-based aviation fuel, opened in the United States. The company, which has British Airways and Southwest Airlines among its shareholders, will use mainly Brazilian raw materials and will require its suppliers to obtain sustainability certification. However, among the companies that have been awarded the seal, there are at least two plants involved in recent scandals involving the use of slave labor.

The cases are covered in the report “Enslaved by Ethanol” , published today by Repórter Brasil , which also shows other unprecedented connections between multinationals and ethanol suppliers implicated in serious human rights violations.

Growing investment in Brazilian ethanol, seen as an alternative to the climate impact caused by fossil fuels, coincides with an explosion in reports of slave labor on sugarcane farms. In 2019, after seven years without any such cases identified by the federal government, 45 workers were rescued from sugarcane cultivation areas. Since then, the number of cases has gradually increased year after year, reaching 361 slaves in 2022. The following year, rescues reached 258 people, and new cases were identified in 2024.

Most of the incidents occurred during the sugarcane planting season, an activity that was affected by a major regulatory change. Approved in 2017, the Outsourcing Law made it easier for rural workers to be recruited by independent contractors – the so-called “gatos” – instead of being hired directly by sugar mills or farmers. According to experts consulted, the new reality reduces guarantees and dilutes responsibilities for the housing, food and payment conditions imposed on seasonal workers.

Death in the sugarcane field

One of the Brazilian industries certified to supply aviation fuel is Usina Coruripe. In 2022, 18 workers were rescued from slave-like conditions on sugarcane plantations that exclusively supplied the company in Minas Gerais. A federal government inspection found that they were housed by the outsourced contractor in precarious housing, without drinking water or beds, 150 kilometers from the farm where the group worked.

According to the inspectors, they spent six hours a day commuting, and one woman who still had to take care of her child after work ended up sleeping only four hours a day. In addition, all the food and necessary items for housing were bought by the workers themselves. “We ate eggs, sausages, whatever was cheapest,” a seasonal worker from the group told Repórter Brasil , who claims to have left work before the inspection.

One of the workers injured his heel while planting and died two weeks later from septic shock caused by the infection. According to the workers, at the time he was wearing a pair of boots he found in the trash. To save money, according to the inspection report, many used the same protective equipment several times, which by law should be provided free of charge by the employer.

When contacted, the plant stated that it “categorically refutes the accusations presented” and emphasized that it seeks to nullify the infraction reports in court. It also said that the Federal Police opened an investigation into the case and concluded “that Usina Coruripe did not engage in this practice”.

In 2024, Usina Coruripe obtained the ISCC Corsia Plus seal, which is mandatory for accessing the aviation fuel market.

Another plant awarded the seal, in October 2023, was BP Bunge Bioenergia, a joint venture between agribusiness giant Bunge and British oil company British Petroleum (BP). The concession came 7 months after 212 workers were rescued from sugarcane fields that supplied the company in the states of Minas Gerais and Goiás. This was the largest rescue of victims of slave labor that year.

In response to Repórter Brasil , BP Bunge Bioenergia stated that, as soon as it became aware of the case of slave labor involving a third-party worker, it “acted quickly in defense of the workers,” paying compensation to those rescued. The company also pointed out that, after the incident, it made changes to its planting processes.

Trade unionists argue that greater dialogue between mills and workers' representatives could mitigate the impacts of outsourcing.

According to Cian Delaney, campaign coordinator at Transport & Environment, which brings together organizations that promote sustainable transport in Europe, it is also the role of governments to provide resources for control and regulatory institutions. “Transferring the responsibility for monitoring the market to independent certification systems, such as ISCC, is not enough,” he says. READ MORE