We use sugar in almost all food whether it's natural or artificial. We learn how the natural sugar is made in biology, but how is it artificially made? 

What is it Made Out of?
Sugar is made from sugarcane and sugar beet.

 Sugarcane is a tropical plant that has a resemblance to bamboo and grows in tropical climates like Florida & Hawaii. Sugar is produced in sugarcane during photosynthesis, where it stores it as a sweet juice in the cane’s stalk. The cane is cut down and harvested, then it is sent to the factory.

The juice is then extracted, purified, filtered, and crystallized into raw sugar. It is then refined and turned into our delicious, sweet sugar.

Unlike the tropical climate sugarcane prefers, sugar beets are known to grow in a cooler climate. The sugar is actually stored in the roots! After they collect the beets, they cut the stem off and send it to the factory where it is further processed.

What are the Impacts?
Of course the sugar industry is going to have a role in pollution, especially since it’s an agricultural commodity. What I mean by this is most agricultural products use fertilizer of some kind when growing, and that fertilizer in the silt runs off into local waterways that can impact important ecological areas. In fact, some of the most biodiverse environments on the planet have been cleared for sugarcane production. Sugar mills are known to produce waste water, emissions, and solid waste that harm our environment. The sludge produced by mills goes into our water and absorbs most if not all of the remaining oxygen in the water which can lead to massive fish kills. Mills are also known to release soot, ash, ammonia, and other substances during processing.

Land in preparation for sugar cane production has no protective cover, which allows the soil to dry out, which impacts the fertility of the soil.

Simply Sweet Sugar for Good
While the sugar industry can harm the environment, for the local communities it offers an opportunity for urban development. One company, Sugar for Good, claims that they play an “ integral role in the country Guatemala efforts to tackle social inequality and promote universal wellbeing.” This same company provides labor contracts to their workers to inform them of the rights they have, the training they will have to have in order to practice the proper safety procedures, which promotes social responsibility and sustainability of the local population. They have educational and professional programs for workers and the local community. With these programs they educate their workers for personal advancement.

What’s the Big Idea?
The sugar industry is known to have a lot of negative impacts on the environment, yet when we studied how the industry affected a particular community we realized that things aren’t always black and white. While I’m all for helping out local communities, (especially when you’re employing them) we also need to realize the stake we’re putting on the environment. If we continue to farm sugar like this, there will be no soil full of life, no area for local communities to use for themselves, not ¼ of America.