Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
We herewith inform you about updates and clarifications in the ISCC System. Please share this information with all relevant members of staff.
1. Cross Compliance in Romania and Bulgaria
The ISCC Board has decided that for Bulgaria and Romania the European Cross Compliance (CC) control mechanism is accepted. This means that for audits of farm/plantations in those two countries it is now sufficient to verify ISCC principle 1, if the farmer can provide evidence that the farm/plantation is controlled via CC. This approach can be applied for audits of eligible farms with immediate effect. The relevant requirements for farms/plantations on traceability and GHG emissions remain subject to verification in any case.
2. Soy Network Switzerland / Soja Netzerk Schweiz
The Soy Network Switzerland (Soja Netzwerk Schweiz, SNS) has accepted ISCC PLUS (with the add-on Non-GMO) as core standard. This means that members of the SNS can use soy that is certified under ISCC PLUS (with the add-on Non-GMO) to achieve their targets of sourcing responsibly produced soy.
SNS has defined requirements for the responsible production and sourcing of soy for the import to Switzerland for feed. In 2016, 99% of soy imported to Switzerland was sourced responsibly. The Soy Network Switzerland is an alliance of soy buyers, producer associations, label and environmental organisations, manufacturers and retailers.
The acceptance of ISCC as core standard is good news and improves access and acceptance of ISCC certified companies by the feed industry. Further information is available on the ISCC website.
3. Reminder – Downstream Combustion Emissions of Fossil Methanol
As communicated in several System Updates in 2017, the European Commission (EC) requires that the combustion emissions of fossil methanol must be taken into account for the GHG calculation of biodiesel production.
Based on questions from stakeholders we would like to point out again that the JRC Technical Report (Well-to-Tank Report, v.4) states the combustion emissions of methanol as 1.38 kg CO2e/kg. This means it is possible that companies use the value for combustion emissions from the JRC Report together with an actual emission factor for methanol (without combustion) as provided by the methanol supplier.
If companies receive an actual emission factor for fossil methanol from a methanol supplier stating that this value is “cradle-to-gate” this indicates that downstream combustion emissions are not included and must be added.
Please be aware that the combustion emissions of fossil methanol or other process catalysts containing methanol (e.g. potassium methylate) must also be taken into account. In this case the combustion emissions for the respective share of methanol are to be taken into account.
4. Mutual Acceptance of RSB EU RED for Waste and Residues
ISCC conducted an equivalence benchmark of the Roundtable of Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB EU RED standard). Following this benchmark, the Board of the ISCC Association has decided to accept the RSB EU RED standard for waste and residue supply chains under ISCC EU. Both schemes have implemented highly robust processes and rigorous interpretations of the EU Renewable Energy Directive that go even beyond the legal requirements defined by the European Commission. Operators across the supply chain can now source waste, residues and waste/residue-based biofuels that are certified in either system and retain their claim of EU RED compliance.
Precondition for the acceptance of other schemes for waste and residues under ISCC EU is a benchmark by ISCC proving equivalence with the strict ISCC requirements. The acceptance of particular materials from other voluntary schemes may impose a significant risk to the integrity and credibility of ISCC and claims made under ISCC. A high risk particularly applies to waste and residues and derived biofuels that are or may be eligible for additional incentives in the EU (e.g. double-counting). Ensuring credible mechanisms for integrity and traceability in the entire supply chain is therefore crucial.
The mutual acceptance between ISCC and RSB provides assurance to operators and all users in the supply chain that their use of waste and residues reaches the highest level of credibility, traceability and integrity required for the EU market. By making compliance easier for operators, we believe this development is an important step in the development of efficient and sustainable supply chains for waste and residues in the bioeconomy.
5. Nabisy: New Application Form to Cancel a Nabisy PoS
The German Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (Bundesanstalt für Landwirtschaft und Ernährung – BLE) has issued an updated application form to cancel a Proof of Sustainability (PoS) in Nabisy. The form is titled “Application to cancel a proof of sustainability due to invalidity pursuant to §§ 20 (1) Biokraft-NachV and/or BioSt-NachV“. The form is valid since 12 March 2018, and Nabisy will no longer process old application forms. Please make sure to use the new application form.
Please be aware that the completed form must be signed by the Certification Body (CB). The CB then provides the form directly to the BLE / Nabisy (the form does not have to be provided to ISCC).
The application form can be found in the ISCC client section and on the website of the BLE.
6. ISCC Trainings – Forthcoming Dates
ISCC Greenhouse Gas Training (1.5 days)
04 – 05 June 2018, Cologne, Germany
ISCC EU and PLUS Basic Training (3 days)
24 – 26 April 2018, Cologne Germany
18 – 20 July 2018, Shanghai, China
09 – 11 October 2018, Cologne, Germany
Click here for further information and registration
Important note for certification bodies and auditors: The participation in the ISCC EU and PLUS Basic Training is a mandatory requirement for all auditors before they can conduct audits under ISCC. If a certification body is conducting audits and certifications that include the verification of actual greenhouse gas calculations, the certification body must ensure that at least one GHG expert has participated in an ISCC Greenhouse Gas Training.