On 18 November 2025, we welcomed participants from across North America for the latest Regional Stakeholder Committee meeting. Held in a hybrid format, the event brought together 224 attendees (81 in person and 143 online) representing agriculture, fuels, chemicals, plastics, aviation, and sustainability certification.
The meeting opened with a warm welcome from the Committee Co-Chairs Justine Raftis (Canadian Canola Growers Association) and Don Scott (SCS Global Services). They set the stage for a day focused on practical updates from regulators, System Users, and technical experts across the region.
Key Discussions and Regional Insights
The meeting began with Steffen Mueller (University of Illinois Chicago and Vice-Chair of the ISCC Association Board), who offered an overview of ongoing developments around Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Technologies (GREET) modelling and the broader implications for lifecycle assessment in fuel pathways. His presentation provided context for many of the policy discussions that followed and described the intensive involvement of ISCC in the North American market in 2025.
ISCC Managing Director Dr Norbert Schmitz highlighted how ISCC continues to grow and support compliance across regulatory markets, with new recognitions in the last year, including in the EU (RED III, RFNBOs), Canada (ISCC CFR), and the forthcoming Low Carbon Fuels Standard (LCFS) acceptance in California. For voluntary markets, a special mention was given to our newest certification scheme, ISCC Carbon Footprint Certification (CFC), which has already generated high interest.
Norbert also shared the positive news that ISCC has seen 19% growth in North America over the last 12 months, above the global average of 16% for certification growth. Currently, there are 1,017 valid certificates in the region.
Norbert talked about the importance of the ISCC Association as part of our independent, multi-stakeholder approach, whose membership now counts 340. He presented the 62 Association Members based in North America, including airlines such as Delta and United, as well as other major players in the agriculture, chemical and packaging sectors.
After this, he presented an overview of the integrity measures implemented across the ISCC System to maximise credibility and trust. This includes the rollout of the ISCC Risk Tool, the introduction of a Sanctions Board, and the expansion of the ISCC Integrity Programme.
Later, Dr Jan Henke shared updates on ISCC PLUS, including the scheme’s steady growth, with 693 valid ISCC PLUS certificates in the region across plastics, chemicals, fuel, and food and feed. The plastics sector (including plastic recycling and responsibly sourced plastic packaging) accounts for the largest share of ISCC PLUS certificates in North America, at 43%. He went on to highlight the scheme’s expansion into new sectors, growing international demand, increased brand owner involvement, and upcoming system developments.
Jan presented developments from the last year, including 1,100+ new ISCC PLUS certificates, and 200+ newly trained auditors for the scheme to match this growth.
Finally, Jan discussed the growing significance of the food and feed market for ISCC PLUS. This includes the upcoming Regenerative Agriculture add-on, which makes ISCC PLUS even more relevant for brand owners looking to use certified ingredients and communicate their claims to consumers.
Regulatory Updates from the US and Canada
Policy developments were a central theme throughout the event.
Carmen Meialua (California Air Resources Board) outlined changes connected to the 2024 LCFS amendment, focusing on what these updates mean for supply chain actors and the importance of reliable sustainability data. Carmen also highlighted how certification schemes like ISCC find acceptance under their upcoming regulation.
From Canada, Francis Jacques (Environment and Climate Change Canada) gave a detailed overview of implementation needs under the Clean Fuel Regulations (CFR), providing clarity on key compliance elements and timelines. He also highlighted the recognition of ISCC CFR Canada. ISCC today is the only recognised system under the Canadian CFR.
Adam Peer (American Chemistry Council) broadened the perspective with insights into US circular economy and plastics policy and regulation, and how certification systems like ISCC support credible mass balance approaches. Adam highlighted how important certified mass balance approaches are to enable scaling up of plastic recycling.
Perspectives from System Users Across Value Chains
Industry representatives shared hands-on experiences integrating ISCC into their operations: Shell’s Richard Green spoke about using the different ISCC schemes across global value chains and the importance of clear traceability. Richard also highlighted their latest addition of ISCC CFC. Andre Marquette (Valero) explained how companies manage certified materials across multiple markets and regulatory frameworks. Veronica Bradley (Clean Fuels Alliance America) highlighted how biodiesel and SAF producers navigate certification to meet growing decarbonisation targets. Alexandra Krus (Montana Renewables) offered an aviation-focused perspective, sharing practical lessons from SAF production and market engagement.
These themes came together in a lively panel discussion moderated by Steffen Mueller, featuring representatives from the American Chemistry Council, Shell, Valero, CFAA, and Montana Renewables.
ISCC Tools, Carbon Footprints & Communication
The afternoon continued with a technical session led by Julia Cockerham and Jessica Bressanin (SCS Global Services), who introduced ISCC CFC approach and answered detailed methodological questions.
Jasmin Droste (ISCC) closed the content sessions with a look at how ISCC certification supports trusted claims for the consumer market via the ISCC Licensing Scheme, which has also seen a spike in interest over the last year, and exciting new developments with the launch of the ISCC BrandPortal just this week. She discussed the value of market outreach, especially as more companies begin sharing sustainability information with customers and partners.
Networking & Closing
Participants had the chance to connect during several Q&A sessions, a networking lunch and an evening reception after a successful day. The meeting concluded with the election of the Co-Chair position – congratulations to Don Scott on his re-election! – and final remarks from the Committee leadership.
We would like to thank all speakers and participants for their valuable contributions and active engagement throughout the day.
We greatly appreciate the support of SCS Global Services as our premium “Earth Sponsor” as well as the support of our other sponsors, all of whom helped to make this event possible!
The discussions underscored both the challenges and opportunities shaping sustainable fuels and materials in North America, and how certification continues to support credible, practical progress across the region.
Interested in getting more information about a specific topic? Download the presentations here.