SBP Announces its new Audit Portal

SBP has today announced the launch of its new Audit Portal. Over the last year, we have been working on the new Portal, which provides all our Certificate Holders and accredited Certification Bodies with a dedicated system to manage all SBP audit-related activities. The Portal is part of our drive to make the whole certification process more efficient and smarter.

Through the use of digital tools and automation we are unlocking a host of benefits, not least the reduced level of effort required to complete and submit the various audit reports Further benefits include improved data integrity and security, and the facilitation of impact monitoring, which will track the progress and contribution made by our certification system.

We are pleased to announce that the Audit Portal is now available and we invite all our Certificate Holders and Certification Bodies to start making use of the tool.

Some of the Portal’s exciting features include:

  • Online SBP certification applicant registration
  • An overview of all applicants
  • Online forms with smart validations and automation
  • Automatic form/template version control
  • Access to all certificate details, audit schedules and checklists
  • Connecting with suppliers and buyers (if you are a Certificate Holder)
  • Ability to run aggregated data reports (if you are a Certificate Holder)
  • and much more!

Use of the Portal will be mandatory from January 2021. If you are a Certificate Holder or an accredited Certification Body and would like to start exploring the Portal now, please email us at portal@sbp-cert.org. More information is available on our website at https://sbp-cert.org/accreditations-and-certifications/audit-portal/.

SBP Celebrates 300 Certifications

The Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP) has today announced that 300 organisations now currently hold SBP certificates. The organisations have been certified in accordance with the SBP certification system, which provides assurance that woody biomass is sourced from legal and sustainable sources.

Carsten Huljus, SBP Chief Executive Officer, commented: “This is an important milestone for SBP. Our purpose is to facilitate the economic, environmentally and socially responsible management of biomass resources to enable climate goals to be met.

“Our Certificate Holders are spread across 30 countries and last year nearly 12 million tonnes of biomass were produced and sold with an SBP claim.”

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. A list of Certificate Holders may be viewed at: http://www.sbp-cert.org/approvals-and-certifications/certificate-holders. The SBP claim enables End-users to demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements for biomass.

Forest Certification Accredited for SBP Certification

Forest Certification LLC (Forest Certification) has become the fifth Certification Body to be accredited by Assurance Services International (ASI) for SBP certification services.

Forest Certification is accredited for the following scope: SBP Biomass Producer (excluding Supply Base Evaluation) and Supply Chain, both in Russia.

ASI, the appointed accreditation body for the SBP certification system, has undertaken a thorough assessment of the processes and procedures in place at Forest Certification 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: https://www.asi-assurance.org/s/find-a-cab.

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, which is publicly available at: https://www.asi-assurance.org/s/map. A recommendation decision is then submitted to the ASI Accreditation Committee, with the final accreditation decision taken by the ASI Managing Director.