Content:

1. ISCC Webinar – System Updates Summary Q4/2025

2. ISCC EU

3. ISCC PLUS

4. Certification of the Raw Material “Intermediate Crops” on Hold

5. Updated Certificate Templates now Available for all Certification Schemes

6. Further Clarifications

The System Update is mandatory for all ISCC System Users, ISCC Auditors and cooperating Certification Bodies.

1. ISCC Webinar – System Updates Summary Q4/2025

Date: 8 January 2026, 14:00 – 15:00 (CET, UTC +1)

We offer a regular webinar series to keep our System Users, ISCC Auditors and other stakeholders informed about all recent changes and developments.

2. ISCC EU

2.1 Clarification on Traceability Requirements for CO₂ Inputs

A RED-certified Point of Origin must issue a sustainability declaration to ISCC EU-certified entities supplying CO₂ if:

• economic operators use ex-use or fate credits,
• the CO₂ is derived from the production or combustion of RED-compliant biofuels, bioliquids, or biomass fuels,
• the input material is classified as waste or residue,
• all sustainability and GHG emission savings criteria are met,
• and no capture and replacement criteria are claimed.

Economic operators that trade or further process this CO₂ (e.g., through liquefaction) as RED-compliant, must be certified by a recognised scheme and forward the material with a sustainability declaration.

A Point of Origin can issue a self-declaration to ISCC EU-certified entities when supplying CO₂ from other sources, including DAC, ETS, geological sources, and CO₂ from RFNBO or RCF combustion.

2.2 Clarification on e_td Calculations for Gaseous Fuels

The requirements for calculating e_td emissions are outlined in ISCC EU System Document 205 “Greenhouse Gas Emissions”, section 4.3.4.1. Certified entities are allowed to use two different formulas.
When transporting gaseous fuels such as hydrogen, economic operators are only allowed to use the alternative option if the transport efficiency factor (n) is sourced from one of the following:

• LCA Databases such as Ecoinvent,
• a peer-reviewed publication that supports this factor,
• a fully documented GHG calculation that follows the RED III methodology and is verifiable during the audit, or
• the supplier of the transport efficiency factor (n) is ISCC/ISO certified.

3. ISCC PLUS

3.1 Updated ISCC PLUS Standalone System Documents (v1.1)

Thank you from the ISCC PLUS team for all your input and feedback on the ISCC PLUS Standalone System Documents (v1.0) submitted during the public consultation period, which ran for 3 months starting from 1 July 2025. We have carefully evaluated your feedback and integrated it into a new version of the documents. Each ISCC PLUS System Document has been updated from v1.0 to v1.1.

The revised documents (v1.1) are now available on the ISCC website. They are valid from 13 November 2025 and will become mandatory from 1 January 2027.

3.2 Updated ISCC PLUS Guidance Document for Ocean-bound Plastic Certification

The ISCC PLUS Guidance Document for Ocean-bound Plastic (v1.2) is now available on the ISCC website. The updated document supersedes the previous version (v1.1). Main changes are the updated definition of ocean-bound plastic and further clarification on fishing gears collected (see also System Update from 18 August 2025).

The version 1.2 of the ISCC PLUS Guidance Document for Ocean-Bound Plastic is valid since 20 November 2025.

3.3 Updated Requirements for ISCC PLUS-certified Products on the Climate Pledge Friendly Programme on Amazon

The eligibility requirements for ISCC PLUS-certified products on the Climate Pledge Friendly (CPF) Programme on Amazon have been updated. Previously, products qualified for the CPF programme if they were linked to at least 50% certified material at the component level or the entire product level. Starting 16 December 2025, all newly badged ISCC PLUS-certified products must be linked to at least 50% certified material at the entire product level, calculated by total product weight.

To support this change, we have updated the CPF Submission Template, which will be mandatory for all submissions starting 16 December 2025 and can be received directly from ISCC. If you have any questions about the programme and how these changes might affect your products, please contact us at licence@iscc-system.org.

4. Certification of the Raw Material “Intermediate Crops” on Hold

Effective 25 November 2025,certification of the raw material “intermediate crops” under ISCC EU and ISCC PLUS is temporarily paused until further notice. Likewise, ISCC Auditors are not permitted to issue new certificates or conduct re-certification audits for farms/plantations and First Gathering Points that include the raw material “intermediate crops”. All currently valid certificates and certified batches of raw material remain unaffected.

Background: The ISCC EU System Document 201 “System Basics” (v4.2) provides a definition and criteria for the certification of intermediate crops under ISCC EU. However, the European Commission now published an amended Annex IX of RED III, introducing a different definition of intermediate crops that does not align with the existing definition in ISCC EU System Document 201. We have not yet incorporated the new definition provided by the European Commission into our System Document or the corresponding audit procedures, as we are awaiting further guidance from the European Commission.

We will inform you as soon as certification of intermediate crops can resume.

5. Changes to Audit Scheduling

5.1 Adjustment of the “60-day Rule” Between Audit and Certificate Issuance

To ensure consistency and clarity regarding the timeframe between a certification audit and certificate issuance, we herewith adjust the “60-day rule” as described in ISCC EU System Document 201 “System Basics”, Chapter 4.3 (“ISCC Certificates”). The new requirement will take effect for all certificates issued on or after 1 April 2026.

Previous wording:

“Certificates have to be issued no later than 60 calendar days after the certification audit took place.”

Adjusted requirement:

“Certificates must be issued no later than 60 calendar days after the start of the main audit of the operational unit.”

This adjustment means that the main audit of the operational unit must be conducted within 60 days before the certificate is issued. However, sample audits (e.g., of farms, plantations, Points of Origin, or other group members) and GHG verifications can already be conducted earlier than 60 days before certificate issuance. At the same time, sample audits can also be conducted after the main audit took place.

If this 60-day timeframe between the start of the main audit and certificate issuance is not met, the audit is failed and must be reported to ISCC.

5.2 New Requirements for Audit Duration and Timeline

To ensure timely completion of audits and consistent audit quality, we herewith introduce maximum time periods for conducting all required audit activities for a given System User.

The following timelines apply:

• General rule: For all certifications – including those where sample audits are required – the maximum time span between the first audit day and last audit day must not exceed four months.
• Exception: For group certifications under the scopes First Gathering Point, Collecting Point and Central Office, the maximum time span between the first audit day and last audit day must not exceed six months.

If these timelines are not met, the audit is failed and must be reported to ISCC.

These new requirements concerning audit planning will take effect for all certificates issued on or after 1 April 2026.

6. Updated Certificate Templates now Available for all Certification Schemes

The certificate templates for all certification schemes have been updated. Please find the templates in the client section (login required). We expect to implement the new templates into the ISCC HUB by 8 January 2026. 

The updated templates can already be applied. Starting on 22 December 2025, their use will be mandatory for all newly issued certificates, as well as for any certificates that are modified on or after that date.

Main changes include the adjustment of Annex II (now called “Further Sites Belonging to the Certificate”). The annex now includes a new “Site Scope” column indicating the type of activity at each listed site. When deployed in the ISCC HUB, this information will be automatically filled into the new column for all existing certificates. We will share more information about the HUB implementation with Certification Bodies soon.

Filling in this annex remains mandatory for the scopes Logistics Centre and Central Office of Points of Origin. For other scopes with external sites, providing this information is voluntary.

Please find a detailed overview of the scopes for which completing this annex is mandatory or voluntary below, based on the certification scheme.

ISCC EU

• Mandatory: Logistics Centre and Central Office of Points of Origin.
• Voluntary: Dependent Collecting Point or Point of Origin covered under Collecting Point, and all certification scopes with external storage facilities.

ISCC PLUS

• Mandatory: Logistics Centre and Central Office of Points of Origin.
• Voluntary:  Trader operating as LRD, Dependent Collecting Point. or Point of Origin covered under Collecting Point, and all certification scopes with external storage facilities.

ISCC CORSIA (PLUS)

• Mandatory: Logistics Centre and Central Office of Points of Origin.
• Voluntary: External Storage Facility, Dependent Collecting Point.

ISCC JAPAN FIT

• Mandatory: Logistics Centre and Central Office of Points of Origin.
• Voluntary: All certification scopes with external storage facilities, Dependent Collecting Point or Point of Origin covered under Collecting Point.

ISCC CFC

• Voluntary: All certification scopes with external storage facilities.

7. Further Clarifications

7.1 Termination of the ISCC Terms of Use

ISCC reserves the right to terminate the ISCC Terms of Use with a System User, in accordance with the termination conditions contained therein. When a System User closes operations or enters bankruptcy, the System User should terminate the ISCC Terms of Use accordingly.

7.2 Clarification on Certificate Termination

• When an error by the Certification Body leads to a certificate being invalid, illegitimate, or otherwise unreliable under ISCC System standards – such as in cases of missing auditor qualifications – the certificate should be terminated, and the audit should be reconducted. A mistake by the Certification Body can be inserted as the reason for termination in consultation with ISCC and after informing the System User of the issue.
• If a System User holds multiple ISCC Certificates (e.g., EU and PLUS) simultaneously and is excluded on the basis of non-conformity and withdrawal of one certification, all other valid certificates should be terminated. Handling material as sustainable during a period of exclusion can be considered a critical non-conformity.

7.3 Amending the Address on a Valid Certificate

If a System User’s address of the certified operational unit changes during the validity period of a certificate, it is possible to amend the relevant information without terminating or withdrawing the certificate. An on-site audit must take place in all cases, except when the certification is for a scope without on-site operations.

7.4 Clarification on the Scope of Integrity Assessments under Chapter 11.3 of the ISCC EU System Document 102 (v4.2)

As stated, the Integrity Assessments consist of on-site and/or remote assessments and may focus on the conformity of System Users with ISCC requirements, on the performance of individual auditors conducting ISCC audits and on the overall performance of Certification Bodies (CBs) offering ISCC certification services. We herewith clarify that Integrity Assessments may include on-site and remote/desk assessments of System Users, assessments of Certification Bodies’ registered offices, witness audits of CB auditors, and GHG assessments of System Users.