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. Update ISCC Documents
ISCC PLUS Document
ISCC has updated the ISCC PLUS system documentation. Since the ISCC EU and ISCC PLUS certification schemes are widely harmonised, the former ISCC PLUS system documents have been replaced by one comprehensive ISCC PLUS system document. In this document the few differences between both schemes are highlighted. In addition, the new document explains how the ISCC EU system documents are to be applied for ISCC PLUS. This adaptation reduces the number of system documents under ISCC significantly and improves the overall clarity in the ISCC PLUS scheme. Please note, that no content-related changes in the ISCC PLUS scheme were made.
From now on, the ISCC PLUS system document serves – in addition to the ISCC EU system documents – as a mandatory source of information for a certification under ISCC PLUS.
Please find the new ISCC PLUS system document here on the ISCC website.
ISCC System Document 203 “Traceability and Chain of Custody”
ISCC has adjusted the ISCC EU system document 203 “Traceability and Chain of Custody”. ISCC made several content-related adjustments that are listed in detail and with reference to the corresponding chapter at the beginning of the document. We highly recommend reviewing the adjusted document carefully.
The updated document will become mandatory on 01 January 2019. From this date the updated requirements have to be applied by certified system users and will be covered at certification audits. An earlier application is possible on a voluntary basis.
Please click here to find the adjusted System Document 203.
Please note that ISCC will publish the adjusted templates for the Proof of Sustainability (PoS) and the ISCC EU Sustainability Declaration, as well as the overview on ISCC requirements for sustainability declarations shortly.
ISCC List of Materials
ISCC has updated the ISCC list of materials:
Table 1 “Raw materials”:
- It was specified that for “waste starch slurry” the determination of the dry matter content must take place at the point of separation from a factory product
Table 2 “Intermediate and final products”:
- HEFA (Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids used as a sustainable aviation fuel) was added
- The wording for ETBE and MTBE was adjusted to Bio-ETBE and Bio-MTBE (in accordance to the wording in the RED)
- Pulp was added as an intermediate product
Call for evidence on “Fish Oil Ethyl Ester (FOEE)”:
ISCC is currently analysing whether “Fish Oil Ethyl Ester (FOEE)” should remain on the ISCC list of materials as a potential waste or residue raw material. The classification as a waste or residue by at least one of the EU Member States is a precondition for the certification of a material under the ISCC EU waste and residue process. ISCC has currently no information that the raw material “Fish Oil Ethyl Ester (FOEE)” is accepted or classified as a waste or residue raw material by any EU Member State.
If you have evidence that an EU Member State classifies or accepts “Fish Oil Ethyl Ester (FOEE)” as a waste or residue, please submit this evidence to ISCC until 01 October 2018. If ISCC does not receive any evidence until this date, “Fish Oil Ethyl Ester (FOEE)” will be deleted from the ISCC list of materials.
The current version of the ISCC list of materials (as of 17 August 2018) is available here in the client section of the ISCC website (login required).
2. Clarification: Animal Fat Categories
ISCC has received inquiries from market participants regarding animal fats whose category is “downgraded” at some point in the supply chain (e.g. from animal fat cat. 2 to animal fat cat. 1). We herewith point out, that in the framework of ISCC only the category of the animal fat at the point of origin (e.g. at the rendering plant) is relevant. This category has to be forwarded on the sustainability declarations throughout the entire supply chain and must not be changed. This is important as the category at the point of origin determines the eligibility for incentives (e.g. double-counting) of the final biofuel in the EU Member States.
Example: If a company receives a delivery of animal fat with a sustainability declaration stating “animal fat category 3” this company can only issue a sustainability declaration for “animal fat category 3”.
3. NUTS 2 Level: European Commission Amends Overview Table on GHG Emission Values
The European Commission published an amendment of the overview table on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission values from agricultural production on NUTS 2 level in July 2018.
GHG emission values for sugar beet ethanol on production level are now available for the following countries: Austria, the Netherlands, Germany, France and the Czech Republic. Please click here for the complete table.
Furthermore, GHG emission values for rapeseed cultivation in Croatia have been recognised by the European Commission and were published in the Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2018/749 of 18 May 2018.
The NUTS 2 values recognised and published by the European Commission are available in the GRAS tool (Global Risk Assessment Services). Please find more information about GRAS here on the official website.
4. Updated iNNw Tool for Nabisy Users
Due to the Nabisy update implemented on 12 July 2018, ISCC has amended its iNNw tool for final biofuel producers accordingly. The iNNw tool has been developed to support ISCC System Users and to facilitate compliance with the requirements of the German Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) for the generation and transfer of Proofs of Sustainability (PoS, German: NNw) in the Nabisy database.
The updated iNNw tool can be downloaded here in the client section of the ISCC website (login required).