Changes for System Users and CBs

• To reduce possible confusion between the company to be registered vs. the operational site to be certified, the question “Address of the Legal Representative is same as company address above” has been rephrased in the contact data provision section. The new wording is “Which is the address and principal place of work?” with answer options
• • “Address of company to be registered”,
  • “Address of the operational site to be certified” and
  • “other”. In case “other” is selected, all fields should be filled out to specify the details of the place of work.
    This applies to the creator, legal representative, and contact person sections.
• The ISCC PLUS Processing Unit type “Electrolysis plant” has been renamed to “Electrolyzer” in the registration and certificate sections. This change is now applicable for ISCC EU.
• To strengthen the impartiality requirements, it is no longer possible to add a person who is added as CB Administrator/CB Staff as any contact person in a registration form. Consequently, it is no longer be possible to add a contact person who is added to a registration as CB Administrator or CB Staff.
• The table “List of Sites covered by Certificate” has been revised to accelerate data provision.
  • Thus far, an excel upload was only available for the tables “List of sites covered by Certificate” and “Site specific information” in cases where external storage facilities or dependent collecting points were provided. In cases where there were no external sites, Main Site information had to be entered manually. A new feature now allows excel uploads for Main Site information in cases where no external sites are provided.
  • In the table “Further sites covered by the certificate” the Main Site address details is no longer accepted as an additional external site (as an extra row) to meet the Union Database requirements and ensure a smooth transition of certificate data.
  • Further, it is now possible to take over data between manual data provision and excel upload modes for the “List of Sites covered by Certificate” section without losing any previously inputted data.

Changes for CBs

• For consistency in terminology, the geocoordinates part of the Operational Unit data in the certificate, has been renamed from “Map X Coordinate” to “Latitude” and “Map Y Coordinate” to “Longitude“. This information is automatically taken from the List of required files and will need to be updated in APS should there be any need for corrections.
• The material annex data provision process has been revised to accelerate and smoothen the data provision.
  • It is now possible to multiply rows so that rows with similar details can be copy pasted and further adjusted rather than being added multiple times. In case of unnecessary exact duplicates an error message will appear, and duplicates will need to be removed or adjusted before saving this information.
  • It is now possible to move rows up and down to put them into a specific order.
  • It is now possible to take over material annex data of a previous certificate belonging to the same registration. Given that the material annex columns differ between ISCC systems, the data takeover will only work for certificates with the same ISCC system.
• ISCC received an increasing number of defective APS files with missing data. Whilst a fix will be implemented in the new APS version, a validation has been added to the APS Archive file upload to allow only a defined file size. In case an error message shows problems with the uploaded APS file, please re-export the APS file and upload the new one. The APS helpdesk remains available for fast support.

Changes for System Users and CBs

• To further increase data accuracy and consistency in the registration data, the following fields have been standardised to only allow Latin characters (including umlauts and accents).
  • Company to be registered
  • Address of the operational unit to be certified
  • Person related information: Creator’s information, Legal representative, Contact person 1, Contact person 2 and Additional access
• Due to this more restrictive approach a new mandatory non-restricted text field called Company name in its original language and script allows to specify the company name as given in the trade register excerpt.
• Until now, ISCC has reached out continuously to system users requesting updated VAT ID information. To reduce extensive separate clarifications, the VAT ID field is now mandatory for companies from affected countries. It will be checked upon provision by the system user on the HUB and the users will be requested to update it immediately if an invalid VAT ID has been provided.
• To further harmonise the ISCC HUB with realistic ISCC certification scenarios, it is no longer possible to select the combination of Warehouse and Logistic Center in the same registration since these are exclusive by nature.
• A new scope titled Proof of Compliance Trader has been added for the ISCC EU certification system in both registration and certificate forms. The associated audit procedures should be uploaded in the section Sample Audit Reports – Additional Files.

Changes for CBs

• A bug has been fixed so that when Processing Unit is indicated as the Certificate Scope, upon selection of the Generate certificate button the downloadable certificate template will now reflect the exact type of Processing Unit.
• Currently, it is not possible for the CB to intervene when a system user has initiated the provision of site information for a submitted certificate. To ensure that the CB maintains control, it will become possible for the CB to Cancel Site Information Request when initiated by the system user allowing for more flexibility in the modification of certificate details.
• Bugs will be fixed to smoothen the delays and errors encountered during the certificate submission process.

Changes for System Users and CBs

• In the registration form, the field Date of the initial operation of the processing unit previously referred to the entire site. It has been repositioned so that the date can now be indicated per processing unit type. During certificate creation, this date will automatically transfer from the registration form to the certificate under Operational Unit Data. For existing certificates, previously provided dates will be filled in automatically during the deployment.

• The Date of the initial operation of the processing unit is part of the data that is sent to the UDB. Should it need to be corrected, this must be done in the registration form. Once adjusted, the CB must update the certificate using the Update based on registration button to apply the changes to the certificate form.

• In the registration form, an additional tick box has been added in the Final declaration section with which system users are required to confirm the acknowledgement of the EUDR add-on terms of use. This tick box is mandatory for all system users applying the EUDR add-on.

• It is now possible to search for the NTR ID provided in a registration. Under Operational Unit Registry the Advanced Search option now includes a search field for the National Trade Register Identification Preview. This allows the user to search for the NTR ID across all registrations visible to them. For information on registration visibility, kindly refer to the ISCC HUB manual above.

Changes made in the certificate form section List of Sites Covered by the Certificate,table Site specific information include:

• In the column Site Scope, the option to select Dependent Collecting Point will only be available when Collecting Point is selected as the Certificate Scope.

• In the column Site Scope, the type of processing must be indicated for the Main Site. To ensure the actual type of processing is specified, the dropdown option “Processing unit” has been removed and only the types of processing remain selectable.

• A new column titled Raw Material has been added. Its available dropdown options depend on the selected ISCC Certification System for Certificate. This column is mandatory for ISCC EU certificates and optional for other ISCC systems. All existing ISCC EU certificates will be automatically updated with this data during deployment. For all other existing certificates, this data will only be updated automatically if a raw material has been entered in the site-specific information column Incoming Material. It will not be necessary to retrospectively adjust raw material information for certificates existing at the time of deployment.

• The Start of Operation column from the Site-specific Information table has been removed.

• Revisions to the tool tips in the Site-specific information table were made.

• Bugs have been fixed to smoothen the certificate submission process.

Changes for System Users and Certification Bodies:

• A new tick box called Use of UDB has been added to the Operational Unit Registration in

the section Information regarding other sustainability certification systems under RED II.

Only if this is ticked with Yes is the data for the respective registration and associated

certificates sent to UDB. By default, this field is set to Yes for ISCC EU system users.

• In the certificate form under section List of Sites Covered by the Certificate, it is now

necessary to indicate the type of incoming and outgoing material and the GHG option

applied only for the External Storage Facility selected in the Site-specific

information table for all ISCC EU certificates. Existing certificates with previously auto-

filled values will now be replaced with a ‘-‘ and will have to be adjusted by selecting

‘Modify Certificate’ to indicate the incoming and outgoing materials, and accurate option for GHG calculations.

Changes for CB’s

• In the certificate form in the Site-specific information table the options of Mass balance

duration now include shorter periods of 1 and 2 months.

• In the certificate form in the Annex 1 table the options for GHG calculations have

been updated to include the combination of 1, 2 and 3 (Actual value, Default value and

NUTS 2 value).

• The format of the CORSIA PLUS certificate identifier has been updated as required.

• Bugs have been fixed to smoothen the certificate modification process.

Changes for System Users and CBs

• The ISCC HUB has been redesigned to include a new and improved interface. For ease of operations the processes of creating a new registration or certificate remain the same as before. This interface update is intended to improve the user experience and performance.
• It is now possible to browse the ISCC HUB in dark mode.

The Advanced Search options have been updated to include the following new features

• The Select a filter option allows the user to define a number of filters that are saved in their account so at any point in time the predefined filter settings can easily be selected again
• Users can now select between 10 – 100 search results to be visible in their repository
• Users can jump directly to any page number of the search by entering the specific page number on the bottom right of the HUB page.

Changes for CBs

• In accordance with the 4-eyes principle, it is now mandatory for all ISCC EU certificates with an audit date on 01st October 2024 or after to indicate the name of the additional auditor who verified the mass balance. A new text field called Additional mass balance verification done by has been added to the Supplementary Information section of the certificate on the ISCC HUB.
• Bugs have been fixed to smoothen the certificate modification process.

Changes for System Users and CBs 

The steps in the section Approval Process at the bottom of a registration form have been revised to provide more clarity regarding the status of the registration. As a task can also be sent back to the CB or System User, it is highly recommended to refer to the Process History section for more details. The status of a registration can always be found in the section General Data in field Document Status.

The ISCC PLUS Transportation scheme has been removed from the ISCC Certification Schemes in the registration form.

The list of voluntary add-ons has been updated in the registration and certificate sections. Previously this list was only available for ISCC PLUS, the newly available list of add-ons for ISCC EU is as follows:
• 202-04: Food Security Standard
• 202-09 EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)
• 205-03: Non GMO for food and feed
• 205-04: Non GMO for technical markets

The updated list of add-ons for ISCC PLUS is as follows:
• 202-04: Food Security Standard
• 202-07: Low ILUC-risk feedstock
• 202-09: EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)
• 205-01: GHG emission requirements
• 205-03: Non GMO for food and feed
• 205-04: Non GMO for technical markets

If the EUDR add-on is selected for a First Gathering Point, a new section called EUDR add-on specific information appears on the certificate form. CBs must upload the Auditor legality verification document in this section. Once the certificate has been submitted System Users must upload the Geolocations file and the EUDRx report in this section.

Changes for CBs

The listed CB employees on the ISCC HUB can now be assigned to a specific type of email notification, distinguishing between registration related, certificate related or integrity related emails.

HUB Manuals

The ISCC HUB Manuals for system users as well as CBs have been updated to reflect a detailed guidance on completing the site information and sourcing contact tables.

Changes for System Users and CBs: 

Site information and sourcing contacts 

The list of sites and sourcing contact template has been changed, with newly adjusted validations. This applies to all certificates (for new certificates, already issued certificates and certificates that were drafts at the time of deployment of the HUB update). This allows for site information updates of any certificate to be sent to the UDB. The changes are also reflected in ongoing site information update requests at the time of deployment. This means that whenever a certificate is modified, the new validations become effective. Thus, while optional, it is recommended that system users update the necessary site information on the ISCC HUB before proceeding with certificate modifications to reduce the required corrections of site /sourcing contact information on CB side. 

Downloadable site/sourcing contact templates are specific to each certificate. This is already applicable at the certificate draft stage. This means that the downloaded template only accepts information that matches the details as given in the certificate on the HUB, such as materials specific to each ISCC system. This is intended to reduce the number of errors during the upload process. However, for already audited companies, for which the certificate has not yet been submitted on the HUB, it is necessary to insert already requested data into the new template. This could be done by the system user or the CB as long as the data is checked by the CB and is provided at the time of certificate issuance and submission on the HUB.  

HUB Manuals 

The ISCC HUB Manuals for system users as well as CBs have been updated to reflect a detailed guidance on completing the site information and sourcing contact tables. 

Changes for System Users:

Site information for ISCC EU system users migrated to the ISCC HUB:

Since May 2023, system users have been required to provide information on sites covered by a certificate and associated site-specific information (in short site information) via the site information template (also called UDB template) in preparation for the Union Database (UDB) onboarding.

We have now migrated the site information for ISCC EU certificates into the ISCC HUB. The ISCC HUB has many built in validation checks, meaning only valid data has been migrated. Certificates for which data was provided in the ISCC HUB since it went live have not been overwritten.

Since the data provided by system users is of rather poor quality, all ISCC EU system users are expected to verify this information in the ISCC HUB and to request a change if needed. This is especially important to ensure that correct data is sent to the UDB once the HUB and UDB integration is activated. An update of sites covered by a valid certificate can be submitted by using the button “initiate site information update” on the certificate. Once submitted, a task is triggered for the CB to confirm the change. Only after confirmation by the CB will the change be reflected in the certificate layout in the HUB.

The related system update can be found here.

Changes for System Users and CBs:

Registration submission and modification: 

• Whenever a registration is modified, valid certificates belonging to that registration may require updating too. A pop-up window during registration modification now reminds CBs to update the certificate if required.
• The SAI gold add-on has been removed from the ISCC PLUS add-ons list in the registration form as ISCC has been confirmed SAI Gold compliant.
• The new 202-07 low ILUC-risk add-on has been added to the registration form.

Changes for CBS:

Changes to certificate submission:

• The APS-Archive upload field has been restricted to only accept zip files.
• Any certificate that has been issued before the start of its validity period will now indicate ‘Awaiting validity start’ in the certificate status.
• All certificate ID’s will now be required to follow the format provided in the guidance documents for certificate templates.
• The SAI gold add-on has been removed from the ISCC PLUS add-on dropdown menu. The possibility of indicating SAI gold equivalence in the material annex on certificates remains.
• CBs may now upload their logo, signature, and stamp in their own CB section so that they are directly included in the drafts created when clicking generate certificate on the certificate from in the ISCC HUB.

Certificates in preview:

• A new tab called Original Certificate (version 1) has been added to each certificate on the ISCC HUB. This allows for an easy comparison between the current version of a certificate and the first version, which may be especially useful when reviewing the changes made to the list of sites and sourcing contacts.

Please find the update here on the ISCC website.

Subscriber: Any user that has newly created their ISCC account and is not listed in any registration is considered a Subscriber.  
 
System User: Any user that is listed in a registration as either contact person or legal representative is considered a System User.  

Only those users that belong to a registration with ISCC, are ISCC Members or are working for a Certification Body receive access to the ISCC Client Section. To apply for ISCC certification please refer to the step-by-step guidelines provided in the Certification Process page.

New users need to create an ISCC account to be able to access the ISCC HUB. This can be done using the following link: Click here to set up your personal account. Once logged in they will be redirected to the ISCC HUB where the registration form can be completed and submitted. 

Existing users do not need to create an account to access the ISCC HUB. The access to the ISCC HUB is provided through a single sign-on in the ISCC Client Section. The login details used for the ISCC Client Section are the same for the ISCC HUB. Once logged onto the ISCC HUB the registration form can be completed and submitted. If the user is already listed in a registration use the following link to log onto the ISCC HUB: Click here to log onto the ISCC HUB.

Detailed instructions on creating a new registration / how to register a new operational unit on the ISCC HUB can be found in the HUB manual provided in the section above. 

A System User can only see the registrations and certificates for which they are named/listed as a creator/legal representative/contact person/additional user. They will not be able to see the data of any other registrations or certificates.

Each registration on the ISCC HUB must have contact persons provided in the registration. While it is mandatory to provide the details of the legal representative and one contact person, providing details of the second contact person is optional. 

It is only possible to list two contact persons for a registration. However, the legal representative, contact person 1 or 2 can further assign additional persons to a registration, who are then known as ‘Additional Users’. An additional user will only be able to view the registration and certificate data but will not be able to make any modifications. There is no limit on the number of ‘Additional Users’ that can be added to a registration. Only the listed legal representatives and contact persons of a registration can view and edit the registration data.  

Detailed instructions on creating a new registration / how to register a new operational unit on the ISCC HUB can be found in the HUB manual provided in the section above 

No, not all contacts have the same access to a registration in the ISCC HUB. Only those listed as the legal representative or contact persons can view and edit registrations on the ISCC HUB. Additional users can only view the registration related data on the ISCC HUB and unless specified, the creator is not able view or edit the registration related data on the ISCC HUB.

ISCC provides the CB direct access to all registration and certificate data for which they have a signed contract with the System User for. They cannot see any data of a company for which they are not listed as the CB for.

All registrations can be found under ‘Basic Data’ -> ‘Operational Unit Registry’ on the ISCC HUB.

All certificates can be found under ‘Basic Data’ -> ‘Certificate’. 

With continuous updates to the ISCC HUB new versions of the plugins are also updated. This might cause the following error message Plugin gras-iscc-hub is loaded but it doesn’t define a component with typeid to appear. This occurs when an open browser window before deployment is continued to be used after deployment without refreshing the page. To be able to proceed and see all functionalities of the ISCC HUB select the ‘Reset App’ button, which returns the user to the HUB Homepage. 

All registrations are now to be made directly on the ISCC HUB. It replaces the previously used registration form on the ISCC website. A detailed overview of registering and attaining your certificate can be found here.  

The ISCC HUB enables System Users to change registration data directly by themselves. This includes basic data as well as any other information that was submitted during registration or subsequently (e.g., the scope of certification). In case of changes, System Users must immediately update their registration in the ISCC HUB.  

All legal representatives and contact persons listed in a registration on the ISCC HUB can further adjust the data of any of their registrations that indicate ‘Registration Approved’ in the Document Status field. It is also possible for the listed Certification Body to update the registration data for the System User. Below is an overview of the steps involved to edit a registration on the ISCC HUB:

1) Log onto the ISCC HUB using the email address indicated in a registration
2) Select ‘Basic Data’ and under it ‘Operational Unit Registry’ 
3) Search for the registration that requires modification and select it from the list
4) In the “General Data” section, click the “Edit Registration” button to enable change mode. Ensure to complete all mandatory fields.
5) Select ‘Save’ once the edits have been made 

Changes initiated by the System User must first be approved by the selected Certification Body and vice-versa. Only once the changes are approved will they become visible on the ISCC HUB.  

Unless a registration holds the status of ‘Registration Approved’ it is not possible to edit the registration. If the registration Document Status indicates ‘During registration and data adjustment by CB’ or ‘During additional approval’ or ‘Inactive’, it is not possible to edit the registration till it has been approved.  
 
Potentially the email address used to log onto the ISCC HUB is not listed as the email address of a legal representative or contact person. In such cases, the logged in user will not be able to find their registration under ‘Basic Data’ -> ‘Operational Unit Registry’. Please contact your Certification Body requesting them to check the details of the registration on the HUB or directly contact ISCC at registration@iscc-system.org to inquire further about the registration on the ISCC HUB. 

Legal representatives and the two contact persons can see and edit the contact person information of the registration. They can also assign additional persons to the registration and by that allow them to access the ISCC client section and see (but not edit) the registration data in the ISCC HUB. If a person is assigned as legal representative or contact person to multiple registrations, all registrations and associated certificates are visible to that person once logged in.  

Adding/Replacing contact person information:

To modify the contact person information for an existing registration, please select ‘Basic Data’ from the tab on the left and then select ‘Operational Unit Registry’. Under ‘Operational Unit Registry’ please select the registration from the list. Once the required registration is selected, in the first section, “General Data”, select “Edit Registration”. Please fill out all fields marked with an asterisk ( * ) and update the contact person information as desired. Please ensure that only one identity is associated with one email address. Once the modifications are made, please select save and then submit at the bottom of the page. Please ensure that each person listed in the registration form is listed with a separate email address.

Adding additional users:

To add an additional user to an existing registration, select the registration from the list under “Operational Unit Registry”. Once the required registration is selected, in the first section, “General Data”, select “Change Access Rights”. The tab “Additional HUB Access” will then open. Select ‘Add’ and then type in the ‘First Name’, ‘Last Name’ and ‘Email address’ for the additional user. Simply indicate with ‘Yes’ under the ‘Active’ column, and then proceed to selecting ‘Save’. Kindly remember to not repeat the same contact persons email address for additional HUB access. 

Users with additional ISCC HUB access can only view all registration data in the ISCC HUB for the registrations to which they are connected, but they cannot change any registration data. Only ISCC HUB Contact persons or Legal representatives can view and edit registrations. 

Once logged into the HUB, select ‘Basic Data’ from the tab on the left. Under ‘Basic Data’, please select ‘Operational Unit Registry’. You should be able to view your registration here. If you do not, use the search field and type in the registration number or company name. Once you have selected and opened your registration, select the ‘Change Certification Body’ button. This allows editing only of the certification body section of the registration form.  You will now be able to modify the certification body details in that section. 
 
Fill out each field with indicated with an asterisk ( *). Remember to click ‘Submit’ and then ‘Save’. Once you have managed to make the modifications, remember that the new certification body would have to approve these changes and only then will they become visible on the ISCC HUB. 

Select ‘Basic Data’ and under it ‘Operational Unit Registry’. Once you have selected the required registration, in the ‘General Data’ section, click the ‘Edit Registration’ button to enable change mode. Adjust the NTR ID and ensure it follows the indicated format, and double-check the details for the operational unit, legal representative, contact persons, ISCC certification system, and certification scope. Reselect the tick boxes under “Final declaration,” then click ‘Submit registration adjustment’ in the ‘Decision’ section, and save.  

If you are listed in a registration as a legal representative, contact person, or certification body, the registration will be visible under ‘Basic Data’ and under it ‘Operational Unit Registry’. If you do not see the required registration in this repository, please contact the listed certification body to check if they are able to locate your registration on the ISCC HUB. Potentially the email address used to log onto the ISCC HUB is not listed as the email address of a legal representative or contact person. In such cases, the logged in user will not be able to find their registration under ‘Basic Data’ -> ‘Operational Unit Registry’. Please contact your Certification Body requesting them to check the details of the registration on the HUB or directly contact ISCC at registration@iscc-system.org to inquire further about the registration on the ISCC HUB. 

Only Certification Bodies have the authority to publish certificates and any associated certificate data on the ISCC HUB. Once the certificate holds the status of ‘Submitted’ and ‘Valid’ it is automatically transferred to the Certificate Database on the ISCC Website.  

List of sites covered by the certificate includes all External Storage Facilities and Dependent Collecting Points that are covered by the certificate. Sourcing contacts includes a list of all Farms, Plantations, Forest Sourcing Areas or Point of Origins covered by the certificate. The information provided in both sections must be consistent with the Main Audit report at certificate submission. For a detailed outline of how to input and modify this information on the HUB please refer to the HUB Manuals for System Users and HUB Manuals for Certification Bodies.  

It is the responsibility of the CB to upload the audit documents in the ‘Supplementary Information’ section. Once the ‘List of required files’ has been uploaded in this section fields for other mandatory files such as the audit documents and other essential documents appears in this section.  

The ‘Justification of given dates’ field indicates that certain ISCC requirements have not been met. This includes surpassing the 60 days between audit and certificate issuance or exceeding 7 days between the certificate issuance and validity. It is necessary to provide an acceptable reason in this field to successfully complete the certificate submission.  

In the ISCC HUB, the legal representative, the contact person(s) and, if applicable, additional persons of a System User can access the currently valid certificates associated with their registration(s). The list of certificates can be found under ‘Basic Data’ -> ‘Certificates’. As before, all certificates are visible and publicly accessible in the certificate database on the ISCC website. 

All certificates valid at the time of the ISCC HUB Go Live have been migrated to the ISCC HUB. The migration did not include material annex information, however, the certificate database on the ISCC website discloses material information for these certificates. 

No, the transfer of Surveillance Audit data is not part of the data migration to the ISCC HUB. However, documentation on the Surveillance Audits conducted by the CB shall also be submitted to ISCC via the certificate section in the ISCC HUB. 

All ISCC EU registrations and respective certificates are transferred to the Union Database directly from the HUB, making the HUB a “One-Stop Shop”. The registration and certificate data will be onboarded successfully if all the information provided in the HUB is complete and accurate and if the company has a valid ISCC EU certificate. If there are any missing values or incorrect information, such as an incorrect NTR ID the registration and certificate are not sent to the UDB. As and when the registration and certificate data is updated it is transferred between the HUB and UDB, ensuring that the information is up to date across platforms. 

Certificates entered by Certificaton Bodies in the ISCC HUB are immediately displayed in the certificate tables on the ISCC website. The same applies to the pdf-representations of the certificates and the Summary Audit Reports published on the ISCC website. This real-time synchronisation allows interested parties to immediately verify the validity of certificates of System Users.