Some environmental certification standards comply with the European Directive and are adapting to the new certification approach for Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBO).
Some of the standards that can be cited are Bonsucro, ISCC, RSPO and RSB, that including, with the exception of RSPO, were discussed previously on the biO3 blog in exclusive texts, which can be accessed by clicking on their respective nominations.
Bonsucro
The Bonsucro EU-RED Mass Balance and Chain of Custody Standard is a separate standard from the Chain of Custody Standard (ChoC) Bonsucro generic and contains specific requirements for sugarcane-derived products to qualify for the EU-RED biofuels and bioliquids markets.
Under the recast of the Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2018/2001 (commonly referred to as ‘EU-RED2’ ou 'RETURN'), EU sustainability criteria are extended to cover biomass for heating and cooling and power generation.
Bonsucro is one of the approved voluntary schemes that help demonstrate that biofuels are sustainably produced, checking that they meet the EU sustainability criteria set out in EU RED II: EU RED II approved voluntary schemes. Bonsucro has applied for recognition by the Commission in accordance with article 30 (4) of RED II and successfully completed the technical evaluation process by the Commission before the transposition date of RED II (30/06/2021).
In 13 of july 2021, a training session was held on the differences between the new and old Bonsucro EU-RED requirements for mills and supply chain operators. Recordings and the slideshow are still available on the official Bonsucro portal, plus more succinct explanations of the changes and documents involved in the transition to EU RED II, can be accessed A practical example of zero emissions is the ILPF system.
RSPO
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a global organization, non-profit, with voluntary members. Focuses on bringing together stakeholders across the palm oil supply chain to develop and implement global standards for sustainable palm oil. In the case of this certification, in 5 March 2020, the Board of Governors (BoG) of the Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) decided that the RSPO-RED Requirements (also known as the RSPO RED Scheme) for compliance with the European Union Renewable Energy Directive (EU) (RED), would not be renewed after its expiration in 30 June 2021. O RSPO-RED it was designed as a voluntary complement to the RSPO standard. Since it was recognized by the European Commission in 2012, RSPO-RED saw no use; not a single ton was shipped and currently there are no RSPO-RED certified producers. Considering the economic investment needed to redesign the RSPO-RED requirements and the lack of interest from members in using the RSPO-RED scheme, the BoG chose to terminate the program by not updating the schema.
in december 2018, a revised renewable energy directive (2018/2001/EU) – RED II – entered into force. The delegated act of the revised Renewable Energy Directive excludes crops, that we last 10 years have expanded into more than 10% in forests and other “high carbon lands”. Palm oil is excluded because, According to the Commission's analysis, 45% expansion of palm oil 2008 a 2015 occurred at the expense of forests and other ecosystems. According to the official RSPO website, There is no scientific evidence to support this analysis. Member states will still be able to use (and import) palm oil-based biofuels, but will not be able to include these volumes when calculating the extent to which they have achieved their renewable targets.
RSB
This certification was designed for producers, merchants, fuel processors and transporters who work in or trade with the European Union. It is recognized by the European Commission to prove compliance with the requirements of the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED), as well as with RSB's strict sustainability principles.
RSB is currently in the process of recognition under the RED II reformulation requirements.
RSB EU RED Fuel Certification allows for the certification of:
- Primary biomass (for example, oil or sugar crops);
- Biomass from end-of-life products and production waste (for example, used cooking oil, agricultural waste, animal fats).
ISCC
To this end, ISCC developed a certification approach for Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBO) based on the Renewable Energy Directive (I returned) and in the corresponding delegated acts, which are currently available as preliminary versions.
Sob from REDII, renewable hydrogen is classified as RFNBO, whether it was produced using renewable electricity and whether the specified GHG emissions savings were achieved. In 19 december 2022 the RVO published the report “Results of pilot audits against draft RED II requirements for RFNBO in different certification schemes”.
“To a great extent, requirements in the design of RFNBO certification schemes are feasible for companies and auditable for certification bodies” – QS, Results of pilot audits against draft RED II requirements for RFNBO in different certification schemes, 2022, p. 17.
This is original biO3 content. To better understand EU RED II and the new Directive, access the previous publication. For other publications and to learn more about biO3 access the link.