SCS Global Services Accredited for SBP Certification

SCS Global Services (SCS) has become the third Certification Body to be accredited by Accreditation Services International (ASI) for SBP certification services.

ASI, the appointed accreditation body for the SBP certification system, has undertaken a thorough assessment of the processes and procedures in place at SCS and is satisfied that the accreditation requirements for the SBP certification system have been met. Further details and the accreditation certificate can be found at: http://www.accreditation-services.com/archives/certification_bodies/scs-global-services-4.

The ASI accreditation process starts with a desk review of supporting documentation from the Certification Body, and is followed by an on-site head office assessment. The last stage is a witness assessment of a Certification Body audit. A recommendation decision is then submitted to the ASI Accreditation Committee, with the final accreditation decision taken by the ASI Managing Director.

Carsten Huljus, Chief Executive Officer of SBP, commented: “I congratulate SCS Global Services on their achievement. There are now three Certification Bodies accredited for SBP certification, which is an important step in SBP’s development and one that underpins the independent oversight of our certification system.”

Certification Bodies must become accredited by ASI if they wish to provide SBP certification services to their clients and prospective clients from 1 January 2018. The requirement applies to all Certification Bodies, including those that are currently SBP-approved.

Control Union Certifications Accredited for SBP Certification

Control Union Certifications BV (CUC) has become the second Certification Body to be accredited by Accreditation Services International (ASI) for SBP certification services.

ASI, the appointed accreditation body for the SBP certification system, has undertaken a thorough assessment of the processes and procedures in place at CUC and is satisfied that the accreditation requirements for the SBP certification system have been met. Further details and the accreditation certificate can be found at: http://www.accreditation-services.com/archives/certification_bodies/control-union-certifications-b-v-5.

The ASI accreditation process starts with a desk review of supporting documentation from the Certification Body, and is followed by an on-site head office assessment. The last stage is a witness assessment of a Certification Body audit. A recommendation decision is then submitted to the ASI Accreditation Committee, with the final accreditation decision taken by the ASI Managing Director.

Carsten Huljus, Chief Executive Officer of SBP, commented: “The accreditation process introduces an important level of independent, third-party oversight, bringing SBP into line with other, well-recognised certification systems. I congratulate Control Union Certifications on their achievement.”

Certification Bodies must become accredited by ASI if they wish to provide SBP certification services to their clients and prospective clients from 1 January 2018. The requirement applies to all Certification Bodies, including those that are currently SBP-approved.

NEPCon Accredited for SBP Certification

NEPCon has become the first Certification Body to be accredited by Accreditation Services International (ASI) for SBP certification services.

ASI, the appointed accreditation body for the SBP certification system, has undertaken a thorough assessment of the processes and procedures in place at NEPCon and is satisfied that the accreditation requirements for the SBP certification system have been met.

The ASI accreditation process starts with a desk review of supporting documentation from the Certification Body, and is followed by an on-site head office assessment. The last stage is a witness assessment of a Certification Body audit. A recommendation decision is then submitted to the ASI Accreditation Committee, with the final accreditation decision taken by the ASI Managing Director.

Carsten Huljus, Chief Executive Officer of SBP, commented: “The accreditation process introduces an important level of independent, third-party oversight, bringing SBP into line with other, well-recognised certification systems. I congratulate NEPCon on their achievement.”

Certification Bodies must become accredited by ASI if they wish to provide SBP certification services to their clients and prospective clients from 1 January 2018. The requirement applies to all Certification Bodies, including those that are currently SBP-approved.

SBP Governance Transition Process: Consultation Launched

SBP has today launched a consultation as part of its governance transition process.

Following a comprehensive review of 12 certification systems in operation across a variety of sectors a proposal for the new governance arrangements for SBP has been developed. The overriding objective is to transform SBP into a multi-stakeholder governed organisation. Further details on the governance transition process may be viewed here.

As part of the process we are now consulting on the key documents that will underpin the new structure and define the core of SBP’s future governance arrangements.

Thomas Dalsgaard, Chairman of SBP, commented: “We are at an important stage in the development of the certification system. Our plan to transform SBP into a multi-stakeholder organisation is gaining momentum and the new arrangements are on schedule for implementation in early 2019.

“This consultation is fundamental to the new arrangements and we encourage interested parties to take part and help to shape SBP’s future”.

The documents on which we are seeking stakeholders’ views can be found at: https://sbp-cert.org/documents/consultation-documents/live-consultations. Interested parties are invited to provide written comments and feedback using the templates provided by 31 January 2018. All responses should be sent to info@sbp-cert.org.

SBP-endorsed Regional Risk Assessment for Latvia Published

SBP has today published the SBP-endorsed Regional Risk Assessment for Latvia. The publication of the Regional Risk Assessment follows a period of public consultation and internal review by SBP, including an approval recommendation from the independent Technical Committee. SBP has also published a response to consultation, which summarises and considers comments received from stakeholders.

SBP-endorsed Regional Risk Assessments are a key part of SBP’s focus on identifying and mitigating risks associated with sustainably sourcing feedstock for biomass pellet and woodchip production. The SBP certification system is designed to provide assurance that feedstock is sourced legally and sustainably.

Feedstock certified at the forest level through FSC®, PEFC or PEFC-endorsed schemes is considered SBP-compliant. Other feedstock must be evaluated using a risk-based approach if it is to count towards an SBP-compliant claim.

Typically, the Biomass Producer – a wood pellet or woodchip producer – is responsible for carrying out the risk assessment and putting in place mitigation measures to manage any specified risks such that the risks can be considered to be controlled and hence low risk. It is the role of an independent, third-party Certification Body, approved by SBP, to check that the feedstock evaluation has been correctly undertaken and that any mitigation measures are being effectively implemented.

The purpose of an RRA is to evaluate an entire geographic region and determine the risks associated with sourcing feedstock for biomass pellet or woodchip production from that region. Thus, the need for individual Biomass Producers to conduct risk assessments is avoided and, therefore, consistency between Biomass Producers’ risk assessments guaranteed. The SBP RRA procedure also ensures active engagement with a diverse range of stakeholders in the region.

The SBP-endorsed Regional Risk Assessment for Latvia and the SBP response to consultation can be found at: http://www.sbp-cert.org/documents/risk-assessments/latvia.

SBP Announces New Member

SBP, the unique certification system for woody biomass used in industrial, large-scale energy production, has today announced the addition of a new member company, MGT Teesside Ltd (MGT Teesside). The application for membership was approved at the SBP Board meeting held on 12 September 2017.

MGT Teesside is building the Tees Renewable Energy Plant, a 299MW Combined Heat and Power (CHP) biomass plant at Teesport, in the north-east of England, UK. The plant is the largest thermal-combustion power plant under construction in the UK.

Thomas Dalsgaard, Chairman of SBP, commented: “I am pleased to announce that MGT Teesside has joined the membership of SBP. MGT Teesside will be represented on the Board and I look forward to the contribution the company will make to our work.

“We are at an important stage in the development of the certification system. Our plan to transform SBP into a multi-stakeholder organisation is gaining momentum and the new arrangements are on schedule for implementation in early 2019.

“I am also pleased to report that our certification system is progressing well. We now have 115 Certificate Holders and independent scrutiny is at the heart of our certification decision-making.

“SBP has an important role to play in demonstrating compliance with regulatory requirements for the legal and sustainable sourcing of biomass feedstock and we are committed to continuous improvement and development”.

For more information, please contact:

Statement on SBP Approval Process

The Certification Body, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC), became an ‘SBP-approved’ Certification Body in May 2016.

On 23 January 2017 (effective date), PwC was suspended for the delivery of SBP Supply Chain and Biomass Producer Certification in Canada and the USA.

Following the six month suspension period (23 January 2017 – 22 July 2017) and the subsequent SBP and independent Technical Review process, the following can be confirmed:

The suspension of PwC has been lifted for SBP Supply Chain and Biomass Producer Certification in Canada and the USA, excluding certification that includes Supply Base Evaluation.

The suspension of PwC for certification for Biomass Producer Certification in Canada and the USA including Supply Base Evaluation has not been lifted. As the six-month suspension period has come to an end, PwC is now terminated for Biomass Producer Certification including Supply Base Evaluation.

PwC may continue to offer certification in Canada and the USA for both Chain of Custody and for Biomass Producer excluding Supply Base Evaluation.

SBP: Fact not Fallacy

SBP is a credible and robust certification system enabling users of woody biomass for energy production to demonstrate compliance with regulatory, including sustainability, requirements. At the core of the system are:

  • 38 indicators defining legality and sustainability;
  • alignment with leading regulatory regimes on sustainable biomass practice; and
  • independent scrutiny of certificate holders’ management systems and procedures.

Responding to the Dogwood Alliance and Natural Resources Defense Council issue paper, The Sustainable Biomass Program: A Smokescreen for Forest Destruction and Corporate Non-accountability’, Carsten Huljus, SBP Chief Executive Officer, commented: “SBP has been benchmarked and accepted by leading competent regulatory authorities as a means of verification for compliance with biomass sustainability criteria. The suggestion that SBP is a smokescreen is based on a misunderstanding of what the system stands for and how it operates.

“The scope of the SBP certification system is clearly and publicly defined. Claims that SBP uses “flawed and incomplete carbon accounting, lacks independent audits and verification, and fails to provide performance-based thresholds and protections” are simply unfounded.

“Policymakers, civil society, biomass consumers and producers, and all other stakeholders can have every confidence in SBP providing assurances on the legality and sustainability of biomass used in energy production”.

The SBP certification system is founded on the two principles of legality and sustainability. Those principles are broken down into criteria and again into indicators, of which there are 38 in total covering a range of requirements, including ensuring compliance with local laws, ensuring features and species of outstanding or exceptional value are identified and protected, and ensuring carbon stocks are maintained or increased over the medium to long term.

Together those indicators set SBP’s definition of sustainability and legality, and are published in the first of the suite of six SBP standards. SBP’s definition maps on to similar schemes, such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), and those schemes recognised by PEFC, such as the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), and is based on the biomass sustainability criteria of European countries, in particular, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and the UK.

The other five SBP standards cover how to evaluate the sustainability of the feedstock material, including requirements for stakeholder consultation and public reporting, how third-party verification is to be undertaken, and requirements for chain of custody.

At the heart of the SBP certification system is independent scrutiny. The first point of certification in the SBP certification system is the biomass producer (wood pellet/chip producer). The biomass producer is audited for compliance with the SBP standards, specifically that the feedstock it uses is sourced both legally and sustainably. In line with FSC, PEFC and SFI, that audit must be carried out by an independent, third-party Certification Body.

Since August 2016, the accreditation body, Accreditation Services International (ASI), has been responsible for reviewing the certification decisions made by the Certification Bodies, providing another level of independent oversight. And finally, the independent Technical Committee makes recommendations on technical decisions, including initial certification decisions.

Aside from the independence of the certification decision-making process, the independent Advisory Board provides advice directly to the Board of Directors on strategic matters, credibility of the certification system, and technical and public policy issues.

SBP-endorsed Regional Risk Assessment for Denmark Published

SBP has today published the SBP-endorsed Regional Risk Assessment for Denmark. The publication of the Regional Risk Assessment follows a period of public consultation and internal review by SBP, including an approval recommendation from the independent Technical Committee. SBP has also published a response to consultation, which summarises and considers comments received from stakeholders.

SBP-endorsed Regional Risk Assessments are a key part of SBP’s focus on identifying and mitigating risks associated with sustainably sourcing feedstock for biomass pellet and woodchip production. The SBP certification system is designed to provide assurance that feedstock is sourced legally and sustainably.

Feedstock certified at the forest level through FSC® or PEFC-endorsed schemes is considered SBP-compliant. Other feedstock must be evaluated using a risk-based approach if it is to count towards an SBP-compliant claim.

Typically, the Biomass Producer – a wood pellet or woodchip producer – is responsible for carrying out the risk assessment and putting in place mitigation measures to manage any specified risks such that the risks can be considered to be controlled and hence low risk. It is the role of an independent, third-party Certification Body, approved by SBP, to check that the feedstock evaluation has been correctly undertaken and that any mitigation measures are being effectively implemented.

The purpose of an RRA is to evaluate an entire geographic region and determine the risks associated with sourcing feedstock for wood pellet or woodchip production from that region. Thus, the need for individual Biomass Producers to conduct risk assessments is avoided and, therefore, consistency between Biomass Producers’ risk assessments guaranteed. The SBP RRA procedure also ensures active engagement with a diverse range of stakeholders in the region.

The SBP-endorsed Regional Risk Assessment for Denmark and the SBP response to consultation can be found at: www.sbp-cert.org/documents/risk-assessments/denmark.

SBP Celebrates 100 Certifications

The Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP) has today announced that 100 organisations now currently hold valid SBP certificates. The organisations have been certified in accordance with the SBP certification system, a unique certification system designed for woody biomass used in industrial, large-scale heat and power production.

Carsten Huljus, SBP Chief Executive Officer, commented: “The SBP certification system enables producers of woody biomass to demonstrate that they source the raw material responsibly and in compliance with the regulatory, including sustainability, requirements applicable to generators burning woody biomass to produce heat and/or power.

“Reaching 100 certifications is an important milestone for us. It firmly establishes SBP as an effective certification system for the biomass-to-energy sector”.

SBP Certificate Holders are either biomass producers, traders, or the end-users of SBP- certified biomass, such as large-scale utilities producing heat and power. The geographic reach of the SBP system currently extends to 15 countries. A list of Certificate Holders may be viewed at: http://www.sbp-cert.org/approvals-and-certifications/certificate-holders.