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. New ISCC Document for Solid Biomass open to Public Consultation

ISCC has developed the System Document “Solid Biomass NL” for the new scheme ISCC Solid Biomass. It is applicable for solid biomass from forest management units (FMUs), residues from nature and landscape management, as well as agricultural and biogenic wastes and residues. The document specifies requirements for solid biomass and is an additional compulsory source of information to the ISCC EU System Documents.

ISCC is keen to gather feedback from system users, certification bodies, interested third parties and reviews revised or newly developed documents based on the responses. For this reason, the System Document “Solid Biomass NL” is open to public consultation until 11 June 2019 and can be downloaded here on the ISCC website. ISCC is pleased to receive feedback submitted via this contact form.

2. Mutual Acceptance of 2BSvs for Waste and Residues

ISCC conducted an equivalence benchmark of the 2BSvs standard. Following this benchmark, the Board of the ISCC Association has decided to accept the 2BSvs 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.

3. Equivalence Assessment of the German Waste Monitoring System (ASYS)

ISCC has conducted an equivalence assessment of the German Waste Monitoring System (Abfallüberwachungssystem – ASYS) against the ISCC requirements for waste materials. According to ISCC System Document 202-5 Waste and Residues, ISCC can recognise the equivalence of existing systems operated by governmental authorities that ensure compliance with the waste and residue requirements under ISCC. Equivalence of such systems must be assessed and approved by ISCC.

ASYS is a common monitoring system used by public authorities in various German federal states. Using ASYS, public authorities can manage, process and monitor the proper disposal of hazardous waste. For the classification and identification of waste material, European and National waste codes are being applied. ASYS contains relevant information on points of origin, collectors and other economic operators handling hazardous waste, including waste transfer documents, licenses of operators, etc. If an ISCC certified collecting point is handling transactions of hazardous waste in ASYS (via database applications connected to ASYS) it can provide the ISCC auditor access to the respective database to verify compliance with several ISCC requirements.

Based on the findings of the equivalence assessment, ISCC has come to the conclusion that ASYS is a system operated by governmental authorities that demonstrates compliance with several requirements under ISCC. Particularly, ASYS ensures:

  • the traceability of waste from the collecting point back to the point of origin and the respective licenses of the operators,
  • the correct identification or classification of the material according to national legislation,
  • the correct determination and documentation of waste quantities.

If the auditor can fully verify compliance with the above requirements during the audit, the respective collecting point does not have to receive and manage self-declarations from the supplying points of origin. In addition, a risk-based auditing of the points of origins as part of the certification process of the collecting point is generally not required (unless there is indication of non-conformity or fraud). This applies irrespective of the amount of waste generated by the point of origin.

However, ASYS does not authorize auditors from certification bodies, staff of ISCC and inspectors from national bodies to conduct on-site examinations also at points of origin if required. This may be required, for instance, to verify the claims made by the collecting point. Such an authorization must be granted by the points of origin explicitly, e.g. as part of the contractual agreement with the certified collecting point. This means, for all points of origin it must be ensured that auditors from certification bodies, staff of certification schemes and inspectors from national bodies (if applicable) are allowed to conduct on-site examinations to verify whether the relevant ISCC requirements for points of origin are met (if required).

Collecting points using ASYS still need to become certified individually based on an on-site certification audit and can only sell material as sustainable under ISCC that is included on the ISCC list of materials. Auditors must explicitly indicate in the ISCC audit procedures if the certified collecting point is registered with and handling waste in ASYS and how the authorisation for third parties to access the point of origin is granted (e.g. as part of a contractual agreement with the certified collecting point).

4. Nabisy Update

The last Nabisy update was launched on 11 April 2019 and introduced the option to include a so-called document link. In this optional field the invoice number, delivery note number, etc. can be entered. Thus, the POS can be better assigned to a specific delivery between the users. The document link is only valid and visible for this specific transaction.

In addition, the connection with elNA has been adapted. Since then, proofs with formula or standard value can be transferred accordingly. Stock records whose basis records were created before January 15, 2019, remain transferable.