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ABF Sugar recognises the critical importance of water for its crop growing activity and factory operations, making water management a key focus area.
A highly efficient centre-pivot crop irrigation system at the Ubombo Sugar estate in Eswatini
Water is essential to ABF Sugar’s agricultural and manufacturing operations, particularly as it operates in water constrained landscapes. As a major water user, the division continues to prioritise efficient water management. This includes improving the accuracy of water measurement and investing in smarter irrigation systems, aiming to ensure every drop reaches the crop.
Water is of critical importance in both crop production and factory operations, making it a key focus alongside other nature dependencies and risks. Each business within ABF Sugar conducts a water risk assessment and, where water use is identified as a material risk, businesses develop a targeted action plan within their five-year strategy to deliver measurable progress in water stewardship. A few sites from its African sugar businesses have been identified as being located within regions of water stress. You can read more about this in our CDP submission.
ABF Sugar decreased water abstraction in 2025 by 8% compared with the prior year. It also reduced water abstraction per tonne of product by 1% compared to 2024. Additionally, 25% of the total abstracted water was reused before being returned to the environment.
ABF Sugar's primary use of water is for growing crops at its sugar businesses in Africa. These businesses have a long-standing focus on optimising water use and investing in improved irrigation systems across their estates. Water management programmes are implemented across their operations in Zambia, Malawi, and Eswatini, which collectively account for 88% of the water abstracted.
Each business has an action plan aimed at improving outcomes in three areas: reducing water loss, increasing water productivity and fostering a culture of expertise in more sustainable water use. To reduce water consumption, businesses focus on reducing bulk water losses, reducing infield water losses and improving irrigation schedules.
To improve water efficiency and deliver more water to the crop, businesses are investing in advanced irrigation systems. For example at Nakambala in Zambia, the business is replacing traditional furrow irrigation with sub-surface drip irrigation and synergistic surface irrigation and drainage, a new system that will improve crop yield and soil health. Additionally, the business is actively considering further investments in these systems at Nanga Farms in Zambia. By utilising precision agriculture technologies, businesses in Zambia can concentrate on areas of the field where the crop experiences weather stress and can adapt field layouts so that every stick of cane receives the exact amount of water it needs.
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar | 834 | 767 | 837 | 859 | 787 |
| Percentage reused | 26% | 27% | 26% | 25% | 25% |
These projects are driving better yields while improving water use efficiency and providing greater weather resilience. Over the seven-year period of implementation, the investment at these two estates has been approximately $20m.
ABF Sugar’s Spanish business, Azucarera, is leveraging innovative and smart technology with its growers at 80 watering systems. It is collaborating with AIMCRA (the Research Association for Sugar Beet Crop Improvement) to reduce irrigation water usage and promote energy efficiency in sugar beet production. Through this collaboration, it offers irrigation advice to growers to help them cut costs, improve efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.
AIMCRA is working on an AIQUA-TECH project to develop an innovative tool for accurate and continuous measurements of evapotranspiration and crop coefficients, helping improve water-use efficiency and crop growth. The tool utilises artificial intelligence, satellite data and humidity probes. AIMCRA is also a participant in the Voltagro operational group, which studies the compatibility of agricultural activities with the installation of solar panels in the field. The objective is to create crop, climate and photovoltaic panel production models based on artificial intelligence that will enable optimal management of the irrivoltaic system, enhance agro-environmental performance and maximise economic benefits.
Water efficiency is also a priority for British Sugar, as most of its growers are based in the beet-growing areas of East Anglia, which face water shortage challenges. The business works closely with growers, external organisations and the National Farmers Union (NFU) Sugar Board to manage on-site operations and minimise water usage and reduce water pollution throughout the supply chain.
British Sugar treats all of the water it uses on-site before discharging it into the environment, as required by environmental permits.The construction of new water treatment plants at Cantley and Newark were successfully commissioned and have been fully operational throughout the 2024/25 sugar beet campaign. British Sugar has invested over £20 million since 2022 to further improve the quality of water discharged from its sites. This includes two new water treatment plants, as well as upgrading of existing facilities at other locations.
British Sugar's sites return more water into the catchment area than they consume, as they use the water contained in the raw sugar beet. The business is currently evaluating the possibility of achieving water self-sufficiency at two of its sites, which would reduce the need to extract water from rivers or boreholes.
* Numbers prior to 2025 have been restated to reflect the disposal of AB Sugar China, disposed of in 2024. The adjustment ensures comparability and accuracy in reporting the groups continuing operations
