SBP Standards Committee

Sune Balle Hansen is the Biomass Sustainability Lead in Biomass Procurement and Logistics at HOFOR, Greater Copenhagen Utility. HOFOR uses wood pellets and woodchips to fuel its combined heat and power plant that feeds into the Copenhagen district heating grid.

Currently, Sune has responsibility for operational compliance with HOFOR’s biomass sustainability policies, regulatory requirements and biomass sustainability certifications, which includes regular direct contact with HOFOR’s biomass supply chain.

Sune’s career spans engineering and sustainability research in the private sector as well as in academia, including the directorship of an academic research centre. He is familiar with the work of SBP having served on the SBP’s Stakeholder Committee and participated in a number of working groups.

Sune holds an MSc and PhD in Environmental Engineering from the Technical University of Denmark.

Scott P Jones is the Chief Executive Officer of the Forest Landowners Association, based in Georgia, United States. Having spent over 20 years in the forestry sector, Scott’s wide experience spans forest land management, procurement, land ownership and advocacy at state and national level.

In his current role, Scott actively advocates on issues of importance to private forest landowners helping them to gain access to markets and preserve property rights that will sustain the next generation of forest landowners

Scott was recognised as a Distinguished Young Alumni of the Warnell School and was the first graduate of the program to receive the 40 under 40 award from the University of Georgia Alumni Association.

Scott holds a Bachelor of Science degree in forest resources from the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. He has been an SAF Certified Forester as well as a Georgia Registered Forester.

Viljo Aros is the Quality and Environmental Manager at Warmeston OÜ, a leading European pellet producer that utilises wood industry and forest residues for pellet production. Since 2015, Viljo has been responsible for overseeing the company’s chain of custody, product quality, and energy management certifications. He also leads process standardisation and sustainability reporting efforts.

Viljo has been familiar with the Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP) since 2015 when Warmeston successfully completed its first certification audit. Since then, he has actively engaged with SBP through various stakeholder forums and has participated in field tests prior to the launch of SBP’s IT platforms, including the Data Transfer System (DTS) and Audit Portal.

Prior to his current role, Viljo gained experience as an environmental engineer in the energy sector, worked as an environmental consultant, and served in the public sector. This diverse background equips him with valuable insights into regulatory landscapes and policymaking processes.

Viljo holds an MSc in Environmental Engineering from the University of Tartu.

Julien Blondeau is a Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), and head of the fluid mechanics and thermodynamics research group, FLOW. He is also co-head of BRITE, the Brussels Institute for Thermal-fluid systems and clean Energy, a joint research group between VUB and its sister university ULB, and the academic coordinator of the Brussels Faculty of Engineering (BRUFACE), a joint initiative of VUB and ULB.

Julien’s research interests cover clean heat and power production, with a focus on renewable fuels, such as biomass, waste, hydrogen and other energy carriers, and district heating networks.

He started his career in the power industry, returning to academia to study for a PhD before joining the power industry for a second period between 2012 and 2016.

Julien has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Université catholique de Louvain (UCL), Belgium and a PhD in biomass conversion.

Gary Q Bull is a Professor and Head of the Forest Resources Management Department at the University of British Columbia in Canada. He teaches courses in the emerging bio-economy and resource economics.

Gary has worked with First Nations in Canada for nearly 20 years bridging the gaps between changing technologies, natural resource management and First Nations’ culture and values. He is also a resource economics specialist working with global forest products companies, the bioenergy sector, UN FAO, several eNGOs, indigenous organisations and all levels of government.

He has worked and undertaken applied research in countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, as well as Europe and North America.  He has prepared over 200 scientific publications and technical reports for international organisations.

Gary is familiar with the work of SBP, serving as a member of the independent Advisory Board to SBP from 2015 to 2018.

Bio coming soon…

Nicholas MacGougan is General Manager of Grand River Pellets Limited, a pellet producer affiliated with JD Irving Limited (JDI) in eastern Canada.

He has over 20 years’ experience in various roles in JDI’s integrated forest products companies, including forest management planning and certification, forest operations, supply chain management, and commercial work.

Nicholas holds a BSc in Forestry from the University of New Brunswick and an MBA from Saint Mary’s University, both in Canada.

Tanja Myllyvita is a senior research scientist in the Climate Solutions Unit at the Finnish Environment Institute. The Finnish Environment Institute provides expertise and independent information on climate change, biodiversity loss, over-consumption, pollution and eutrophication.

Her work is related to assessment of the sustainability of biomass use, including greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts. She has some 15 years’ experience working as a researcher and project leader across various projects. Although her current work is mostly connected to forest resources, Tanja has also studied sustainability impacts of paludiculture, biogas and peatlands. She has authored several peer-reviewed scientific journals and project reports.

Tanja holds a PhD in Forest Sciences from the University of Eastern Finland and an MSc in Ecology from the University of Helsinki, Finland.

Christian Anton Rahbek is Head of Sustainability at CM Biomass Partners A/S, a Denmark-based, but globally active, biomass trader and producer. Christian is responsible for leading and coordinating CM Biomass’ certification and sustainability activities related to wood pellets and other biomass fuels.

Christian has been involved with SBP certification since 2015, in the role of senior auditor for the Certification Body, Preferred by Nature. He also participated in the development of the SBP Regional Risk Assessment for Denmark in 2016. And later contributed to SBP technical working group on wood chips.

With over 11 years’ experience as an auditor, and five years’ experience specifically with SBP audits of wood chip and wood pellet producers, Christian hopes to share his experiences from both sides of the audit process, aiming to improve the real-world applicability of the SBP Standards for Certificate Holders and auditors alike.

Christian holds an MSc in Forestry from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Bio coming soon…

Justin Tait is the Director of Responsible Sourcing at Enviva, the world’s largest producer of sustainable wood pellets that provide a low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels. Based in the United Kingdom, Justin is responsible for ensuring that Enviva delivers sustainably and responsibly sourced biomass to its customers that meet globally recognised standards and Enviva’s own Responsible Sourcing Policy.

During his time at Enviva Justin has become heavily involved in Enviva’s engagement with SBP. As a Biomass Producer, all of Enviva’s production and many of its customers are SBP- certified. He has been involved in the Standards revision process and ensuring implementation of new requirements for REDII. Justin is also responsible for third-party due diligence and engagement on responsible sourcing. As such he has a strong appreciation of certification requirements and application of SBP in a wide range of geographies, including in SE Asia, Europe, Russia, and North America/Canada.

Justin holds an MBA from the Royal Agricultural University, an MSc in Development Administration and Planning from the University of Bristol and an MA in International Relations and Politics from the University of Aberdeen, all in the UK.

Paul spent a 40-year career working in forest conservation, sustainable forest management, and not-for-profit management. Since 2022, he has been operating a part-time consultancy focused on coalition-building, collaborative problem solving, and strategic planning in the context of forest conservation and sustainability.

Formerly Chief Conservation Officer at the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), Paul led SFI’s conservation agenda and helped shape programs across the organisation. This included conservation leadership through two revisions of the SFI Certification Standard, and advancement of research to measure and ensure outcomes relative to sustainable forest management.

At SFI, Paul conceived and led SFI’s Conservation Impact Project, which details outcomes from SFI’s work in the areas of climate change, biodiversity, and water conservation. In June of 2022, his career accomplishments were acknowledged with the Sharon Haines Memorial Award for Innovation and Leadership in Sustainability.

Prior to SFI, Paul served in leadership roles with the American Forest Foundation (AFF), and The Nature Conservancy, through work focused on large scale forest conservation, and collaborative partnerships toward conservation in managed forestlands.

He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Forestry and Wildlife Management from Virginia Tech, USA and a Master’s in Environmental Management from Duke University, North Carolina, USA.

Bio coming soon…