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ISCC is proposed for recognition by the European Commission

Cologne, May, 27, 2011:

ISCC is proposed for recognition by the European Commission

Today the European Commission is proposing ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) for recognition to the member states. The representatives of the member states will discuss the issue at the meeting of the Sustainability Committee for Biofuels and Liquid Biomass in Brussels. The meeting will be followed by the European Parliament statement and finally the publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Recognition by the European Commission is a prerequisite for the future implementation of ISCC in all European countries, in order to prove sustainability according to the requirements of the European Union Renewable Energy Directive (EU RED) across the entire value chain. Along with ISCC, further systems are proposed for recognition by the European Commission.

„Recognition by the European Commission makes it possible to apply the same standards and rules for certification in different countries. It helps to avoid multiple certifications. This serves the interest of the EU internal market and the international trade“, explains Norbert Schmitz, managing director of the ISCC System GmbH.

Unlike other systems, ISCC was already tested from 2008 till 2009 in a two-year pilot phase. Since the beginning of 2010 ISCC has been used as an operational system. „ISCC is used by more than 550 enterprises in 37 countries. We have gained valuable experience and developed a secure and practical system, which can be applied efficiently across the entire production chain“, Dr. Schmitz points out. The positive feedback from the companies using the system shows that the ISCC methods and procedures are working and meeting the users‘ demands. Norbert Schmitz further notes, that „there are already many cases where a significant contribution towards more sustainability was made”.

ISCC cooperates with 17 certification bodies all over the world. More than 300 auditors have already been qualified for the enforcement of sustainability requirements at plantations, farms, trading companies, oil mills and other processing units worldwide. „Much of the certification process depends on the auditors, since they control the environmental and the social conditions on-site“, explains Norbert Schmitz. „Only if the auditors are independent, well-qualified and do know the legal requirements, certification can contribute to climate protection and biodiversity“.

ISCC was developed through a multi-stakeholder process and is open for all interested parties, who can contribute to ISCC´s further progress as members of the ISCC-association. The system goes beyond legal minimum requirements and sets, beside ecological requirements and the greenhouse gas balance, also criteria on the social conditions of biomass production.

ISCC is approved for all kinds of biomass and bioenergy, and can thus be applied for rapeseed and grain, as well as for sugar cane, soy and palm oil. Moreover, the system is already being used outside the bioenergy field, e.g. in the chemical industry.

Further information:
Norbert Schmitz, Managing Director ISCC System GmbH,
schmitz(at)iscc-system.org
Phone.: +49 221 17932966