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.

Martin Junginger is a Professor of Bio-based Economy at the Copernicus Institute of Utrecht University. Martin is part of the Energy & Resources department management team and leads its bio-based economy research cluster.

Since 2013, he has led the IEA Bioenergy Task 40 on sustainable international bioenergy trade, initiating a number of biomass trade-related studies and workshops each year. Over the years, Martin has led projects totalling more than €3 million of Utrecht University funding. His past and current portfolio of projects includes European Commission projects, Horizon 2020, Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), ERA-NET and Intelligent Energy Europe, and others for the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, utility RWE Essent, Rabobank and the Port of Rotterdam.

Amongst other areas, Martin’s work encompasses analysis of bioenergy systems, related sustainability assessment of biomass production for energy and materials, including GHG emissions and other environmental impacts, and policy evaluation. He has co-published numerous titles in peer-reviewed scientific journals, project reports, book chapters and conference proceedings, and has also edited three books on energy and biomass topics. He acts as a reviewer for a variety of journals, scientific and government bodies.

Martin has built up an excellent network in the Netherlands, the EU, Canada, the US, Brazil and other countries. He is frequently involved in workshops and other international events.

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

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.

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…

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.

Nicholas 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.

Gordon Murray is the Executive Director of the Wood Pellet Association of Canada (WPAC), where he advocates on behalf of pellet producers, traders, ports, stevedoring companies, equipment manufacturers, inspection companies, and all those who desire a strong and vibrant Canadian wood pellet industry.

Gordon has been closely engaged with SBP since its inception. He has been closely involved in the development of the SBP certification system and in advocating for SBP’s transition to a multi-stakeholder organisation. More recently, he has served on the SBP’s Stakeholder Committee and participated in a number of working groups.

Prior to joining WPAC in 2008, Gordon worked for many years as a forest industry consultant and as a sawmill owner-manager.

Gordon graduated from the University of British Columbia with a BSc in Forestry. He is a Registered Professional Forester and a Chartered Professional Accountant.

Tanja 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 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.

Yves Ryckmans is Chief Technology Officer, Biomass at ENGIE Laborelec, with responsibility for managing research and services for bio-energy applications within the ENGIE Group and for third parties worldwide.

He joined the Laborelec Research Centre of ENGIE Electrabel as a research engineer in 1989, working initially in the field of nuclear energy. From 1996, Yves initiated the development of fixed bed gasification and circulating fluidised bed gasification of woody biomass through several Belgian and European projects. In 1999, he became Head of the Laborelec Biomass Laboratory and Centre of Expertise, which has amassed over 20 years’ experience of working on technical issues, such as biomass to power applications, including biomass sustainability assessment and life cycle analysis studies.

Yves has been involved in the verification of sustainability criteria for solid biomass since 2005, and is familiar with the work of SBP having contributed to its development since the days of SBP’s predecessor, Initiative Wood Pellet Buyers. More recently, he has served on the SBP’s Stakeholder Committee and participated in a number of working groups.

Yves graduated from the University of Louvain-la-Neuve (UCL), Belgium and holds a PhD from the same university on modelling heat transfer in furnaces by finite elements techniques.