Frequently Asked Questions
Audit and Verification
- What do I have to keep in mind for my audit?
- How long do I have to store my records?
- Can I add a warehouse, input material or product to my certification during the certification period?
- Do I need ISCC-certified material before the certification can start?
- Adding new farmers and materials during the certification period
- Adding additional scopes to an existing certificate
- Adding additional material to an existing certificate
- Adding storage facilities to existing certified entities
- What is a surveillance audit and when must a surveillance audit be conducted?
Biodiesel and EU Imports from China
Certification Processes and Requirements
- Which certification is right for me?
- How many certificates do I need?
- Can I get certified under several ISCC systems?
- How can I get ISCC certified?
- Which certification bodies does ISCC cooperate with and do they have auditors in all countries?
- How can I change Certification Bodies?
- How can I change my registration details?
- How long is an ISCC certificate valid?
- How much do I have to pay for an ISCC Certificate?
- How long does it take to receive a certificate?
- How do I become a recognized certification body for ISCC?
- What does ISCC Compliance mean?
- Which materials can be certified under ISCC?
- I would like to certify a material, that is currently not included in the ISCC materials lists. How do I proceed?
- Initial Certification: Handling of sustainable material
- My certificate hasn’t been published on the ISCC website yet, when can I begin selling material?
- Do you recommend certain CBs for specific scopes?
Chain of Custody, Traceability and Mass Balance
- Where do I find information on the requirements related to mass balance?
- What kind of information needs to be forwarded on ISCC PLUS sustainability declarations?
- Can certified and non-certified materials (e.g. if technically equivalent) be stored together in one silo or do they need to be kept separately?
- The maximum of one mass balance period is three months. Does this mean that system users have to sell all certified material within this timeframe?
- Is it allowed to state percentages on sustainability declarations?
- Is it possible to combine several raw material categories on one sustainability declaration?
- Is it possible to sell material prior to receiving the physical material and to receive/acquire/purchase the credits later on?
- How can returns due to e.g. damaged or insufficient quality be handled?
- Does ISCC provide a mass balance template?
- Does the supplier need to provide an LCA analysis and do ISCC PLUS certified companies have to calculate GHG emissions?
- Which chain of custody options are possible under ISCC?
Co-digested Biomass Fuels
- What is the correct method for actual calculations of GHG emissions from co-digested biomass fuels? (29.01.2024)
- Since when is the application of the GHG methodology according to Annex VI, RED II applicable? (29.01.2024)
- Is a calculation of a GHG value per feedstock, as was done in the REDI, still possible? (29.01.2024)
- Can the Annex V method be used, if the biomethane is liquified or converted to methanol and used in the transport sector? (29.01.2024)
- What is the timeframe for the GHG calculation of co-digested biomass fuels?
- How is the Sn factor calculated?
- Is a combination of default values and actual values still possible? (29.01.2024)
- Is it possible to co-digest certified and non-certified feedstocks? (29.01.2024)
- Is it possible to issue multiple PoS for a batch of biogas/biomethane? (29.01.2024)
- How can the PoS data for biomass fuels be entered into national databases such as Nabisy? (29.01.2024)
- Can the information on a PoS be modified after it has been issued by the final biomass fuel producer? (29.01.2024)
- Are traders of biomethane allowed to change the sustainability characteristics (e.g. GHG value) of a batch of biomethane on the PoS? (29.01.2024)
- Is it mandatory to add emissions for compression on a PoS when the final use of the fuel is not known? (29.01.2024)
- Is it necessary to prove capacity bookings when biomethane is transported via the gas grid? (29.01.2024)
- Is it allowed to trade a PoS for biogas/ biomethane without the respective quantity of sustainable material?(29.01.2024)
- Are Guarantees of Origin documents for biogas/ biomethane (GOs) accepted under ISCC EU to document compliance with the ISCC requirements for biogas/ biomethane? (29.01.2024)
General
- What is ISCC?
- What are the benefits of a membership in the ISCC Association and how does my organization or myself become a member?
- Who gets access to the ISCC client section?
- Where do I find the ISCC documents?
GHG Calculations
- Where can up-to-date emissions factors be found?
- Can NUTS2 values be used for GHG accounting on cultivation level?
- At cultivation level, how should organic fertilizer be accounted for?
- How can different forms of electricity be included in GHG calculations?
- Which impact has a material classification as a waste/residue versus a co-product? Why is it important?
- If excess electricity / heat is produced, how can this be integrated into the GHG calculation?
- Is there a GHG Calculator accepted by ISCC?
- When should default or actual values be used?
- When using multiple substrates, how should they be accounted for in biomass fuel production? Can DDV be used for some and not for others?
- When dealing with multiple batches of the same material with different sustainability characteristics, how should these batches be accounted for?
- Does the calculation period always have to be on a 12-months basis? For example if a plant has scheduled turnaround periods or unscheduled production-stops (force majeure), can certain months only be considered for the calculation?
- If one entity in the supply chain uses the disaggregated default value DDV for a component of the GHG formula, are all other entities in the supply chain also limited to DDV for that element (i.e etd)?
- How should transport emissions be calculated if transportation distance downstream of the final processing unit is not known?
- Is it mandatory to pass on GHG values under ISCC PLUS?
Logos and Claims
- Does a company need to be ISCC certified to sell ISCC certified products with an on-product logo?
- Do you have an on-product logo for materials that are linked to both, PCR and bio-attributed ISCC compliant material?
- Is it mandatory to use the ISCC logo or to have an ISCC claim on-pack?
- Does a brand owner need to be certified?
- Is it mandatory to receive approval for the use of the ISCC off-product logo?
Nabisy
- How do I register for Nabisy?
- How do I change the contact data for my Nabisy account?
- What is the status of my Nabisy application and/or my login data?
Scheme Specific Questions
- What is the difference between ISCC CORSIA and ISCC CORSIA PLUS?
- Where can I get more information about the ISCC PLUS certification system?
Trainings and Events
- Which e-mail address do I have to indicate in the registration form?
- In which currency are the invoices issued?
- Will ISCC register on our invoicing platform?
- Whom should I contact if I have more specific questions regarding the payment?
- Does ISCC have a cancellation policy?
- Which platform does ISCC use for online trainings?
- When do I receive the meeting link & training material?
- Do I receive the solutions of the group works?
- How long is my auditor qualification valid?
- Is the Auditor Online Test on the ISCC Academy Platform mandatory?
- How can I access the Auditor Online Test on the ISCC Academy Platform?
- How much time do I have to complete the Auditor Online Test on the ISCC Academy Platform?
- Does the ISCC Online Test for Auditors involve extra costs?
- How do I receive the official attestation for auditors?
- In which time zone ISCC training are being held?
Union Database (UDB)
- What is the UDB?
- Do I have to use the UDB?
- What kind of information must be registered in the UDB?
- Do I have to register myself in the UDB?
- My company is certified under more than one Voluntary Scheme. Do I have to register in the UDB more than once?
- Who is receiving the invitation for lead user in the UDB?
- I am the lead user for more than one company. Do I need a different account for each company?
- How can I connect our internal IT system to the UDB?
- Will ISCC act as a Service Provider to its system users?
- Are there any handbook or training materials for using the UDB?
- Why can’t ISCC approve a 3rd party Service Provider?
- When will ISCC provide trainings for the UDB?
- In which language can the UDB be used?
- When will the onboarding of Certification Bodies take place?
- How will the UDB be linked to other national databases (e.g., Nabisy, Carbide, etc.)?
- What is the NTR ID and why is it needed?
- Where can I find more information on the UDB?
- How do you set up 2-factor authentication / mobile device?
- How to change company status to “Active”?
Updated ISCC EU documents V.4.1 (valid 1 Jan 24)
- What is the reason for the recent update of the ISCC EU system documents?
- When are the new ISCC EU System Documents applicable? Is there a transition period?
- Where can I find the updated ISCC EU System Documents?
- Where can I find a summary of changes of the updated ISCC EU System Documents?
- What are the ISCC EU gap audit procedures? How do I use them?
- When do I need to include the new information added to the Sustainability Declarations/Proofs of Sustainability?
- If an emission factor (EF) is no longer included in the Annex I of the updated ISCC EU System Document 205 “Greenhouse Gas Emissions” (version 4.1), can I use the value from the previous System Document 205 (version 4.0)?
- Can an alternative emission factors be used even if there is a suitable emission factor in the Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/996 ?
- How do I fill in the updated Sustainability Declaration section on the waste or animal by-product number?
- How do I fill in the updated Sustainability Declaration section on the support schemes received?