ISCC-EU Certification - Proof of Sustainability for Bio-fuels

What is ISCC-EU?

The InternationalSustainability & CarbonCertification (ISCC) is a voluntary certification scheme by which companies demonstrate that they meet the sustainability criteria required by the EU's Renewable Energy Directive (2018/2001/EC - RED II) for the production of biofuels from biomass.

ISCC is recognised by the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE) and the European Commission and is applied worldwide. GUTcert has been certifying according to the ISCC standard since 2009 and has extensive experience in this field, also in the context of international projects. With our accreditation by the BLE, certification of sustainable biofuels by GUTcert meets the highest standards of quality and integrity.

For whom is ISCC-EU relevant?

The production of renewable energies and fuels from biomass is gaining in importance worldwide. For the European biofuel market, the EU created binding requirements for the sustainable production and processing of biomass in the Renewable Energy Directive (RED, 2009/28/EC) and its revision (RED II, 2018/2001/EC).

In German law, these requirements have been implemented in the Biofuels Sustainability Ordinance, BioSt-NachV and BImSchV (37th and 38th). Biofuels from palm oil, rapeseed, sugar beet, grain or waste and residues (e.g. used cooking oil) account for the largest share of biofuels traded in Europe. Especially interfaces such as farms and collection points, first gatherers, land traders, conversion plants, suppliers and
warehouses are obliged to be certified according to ISCC-EU.

What are the advantages of an ISCC-EU certification?

Since RED II explicitly promotes the use of energy from renewable sources, the share of bioenergy to cover our energy needs will increase significantly in the future. Voluntary certification systems such as ISCC are seen as an objective and reliable way of demonstrating compliance with the sustainability criteria set out in RED II.

Through an ISCC-EU certification, economic operators therefore gain easy access to the European biofuel market and subsidies linked to it. They thus secure the sustainable expansion of new raw material sources and help our society one step further on the way to more responsibility for our future. In this way, certification is also a plus point for PR and marketing.

Self-declaration

With the aid of a signed self-declaration, proof must be provided to the first collector or the collection point that the biomass produced meets the RED II sustainability criteria.

Delivery documentation

Each biomass delivery for the production of sustainable biofuels must be unmistakably marked (incl. certificate number on the shipping documents) and weighed or measured to determine the quantity.

Mass balancing

A mass balance system must be maintained individually for each site and is substrate specific. It allows the physical mixing of raw material or biofuel deliveries with different sustainability properties. However, it requires that information on the sustainability properties of partial deliveries be recorded separately in the balance sheet.

Greenhouse gas balancing

Proof of GHG emission savings is mandatory for all plants producing final biofuel. For commissioning dates up to 05.10.2015, at least 50% GHG emissions must be saved compared to fossil fuel. Plants commissioned on or after 06.10.2015 must achieve at least 60% savings and plants commissioned on or after 2021 must be able to demonstrate at least 65% GHG reductions.

If you decide to cooperate with GUTcert, an on-site audit will take place to assess conformity with the requirements of the ISCC-EU system. After a successful review of the audit documents by GUTcert, you will receive a certificate demonstrating compliance with the sustainability criteria of RED II. The certificate is valid for one year and is renewed by a recertification audit before it expires.

We calculate the effort for your certification according to ISCC-EU individually, depending on the complexity of the product, the data acquisition effort and the product portfolio. Please do not hesitate to contact us

How does the combination of ISCC-EU with other certification systems work?

In principle, all certification systems recognised by the EU (REDcert, SURE etc.) also recognise each other.

You would like to have your company certified according to ISCC?

We would be pleased to provide you with an individual offer for an ISCC-EU certification or to answer your open questions. As a subsidiary of the AFNOR Group, we offer our services worldwide.