June 25, 2018

Berlin, 25 June 2018

ISCC is delighted to announce that EUROPARC Deutschland e.V. has joined the ISCC Association (ISCC e.V.) in May, and with that has become the 100th active ISCC e.V. member. EUROPARC Germany was given the membership certificate in a small ceremony on June 25, 2018 in Berlin, Germany.

Dr. Elke Baranek, CEO of EUROPARC, received the membership certificate from Prof. Dr. Gernot Klepper, Chairman of the ISCC e.V. Board and Dr. Norbert Schmitz, Managing Director of the ISCC System GmbH. At the ceremony, Gernot Klepper pointed out that “balancing the need for providing humanity with nature’s services while maintaining sustainability in our natural ecosystems are goals that both EUROPARC and ISCC share.”

As the protection of highly biodiverse and high-carbon stock areas is one of ISCC’s core pillars, ISCC applies strict rules regarding deforestation and the conversion of biodiversity.  Additionally, ISCC uses innovative technologies such as GRAS (Global Risk Assessment Services), a remote sensing-based web tool, to conduct risk assessments and to verify land use change already prior certification.

When receiving the ceremonial award, Dr. Elke Baranek added: ”We like to integrate nature conservation and biodiversity in the sustainable goals of businesses. The members of ISCC can profit from EUROPARC as it gives insights in nature protection in Germany and sustainable land use.”

Also present at the festive act was Dr. Ing. Andreas Schütte, CEO of the Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e. V. (Agency for Renewable Resources, FNR), who expressed his appreciation for the positive development of the ISCC certification scheme. The German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture has supported the development of ISCC through its project agency FNR. He emphasized that “I am convinced that funding the development of the ISCC and GRAS tools by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture has made a significant contribution to securing sustainable supply chains. The essential thing is that there is a high level of transparency and credibility.”

With the membership, EUROPARC has the opportunity to get actively involved in the future development and continuous improvement of ISCC. ISCC was developed through an open multi-stakeholder process and is today a globally leading certification system for sustainability and GHG emission savings. Since its start of operation in 2010, over 18,000 certificates in more than 100 countries have been issued.

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