SBP launches comprehensive MEL System

At the beginning of July we launched our comprehensive Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) System, providing a new framework for strengthening the evidence base, transparency and continuous improvement of our certification scheme. Through the publication of a suite of MEL documents, we have established a structured and organisation-wide approach to understanding, measuring and improving the performance and impact of our work.

As expectations around sustainability performance, transparency and accountability continue to evolve, certification schemes must demonstrate not only that requirements are in place, but also how those requirements contribute to positive outcomes in practice. The SBP MEL System has been developed to support this objective by providing a framework for generating and using evidence to assess the effectiveness of our certification scheme, test key assumptions and inform future improvements. 

Strengthening the evidence base

The MEL System supports our Purpose and Strategic Aims by generating the information needed to understand how the scheme performs and the outcomes it helps to achieve. It provides a systematic approach to monitoring progress, evaluating effectiveness and incorporating learning into decision-making processes across the organisation.

A framework for monitoring, evaluation and learning

At the centre of the new system is the MEL Guiding Framework, which explains how SBP plans, implements and maintains its monitoring, evaluation and learning activities. The document sets out the principles, governance arrangements and processes that underpin our approach to evidence generation and continuous improvement.

The framework establishes a cycle of monitoring, targeted research, learning and system development, ensuring that insights generated through MEL activities are translated into informed decision-making and practical improvements over time. It is designed to provide a consistent, credible and proportionate approach to assessing the effectiveness of the certification scheme and its contribution to intended outcomes.

Understanding interested and impacted parties

Alongside the Guiding Framework, we have published the MEL Interested and Impacted Parties (IIP) Hypothesis, which provides a structured approach to identifying the individuals, groups and organisations that may be interested in, or affected by, SBP-influenced biomass sourcing practices.

The document sets out our current understanding of how the scheme influences different stakeholder groups, the potential benefits and risks involved, and the factors that may affect meaningful participation and engagement. Recognising the complexity of certification schemes and the environments in which they operate, the hypothesis is intended to evolve over time as additional evidence is generated through MEL activities.

Embedding ethical research practices

The third document published as part of the MEL System is the MEL Research Ethics Guidelines, which establishes the ethical framework governing MEL activities conducted or commissioned by SBP that involve individuals or identifiable groups.

The guidelines set out principles relating to informed participation, privacy, confidentiality and the protection of vulnerable populations. They also introduce a risk-based approach to ethics review, helping to ensure that research and evidence-gathering activities are conducted responsibly and with appropriate safeguards in place.

Turning evidence into learning

Together, the MEL documents provide the foundation for a coherent and transparent system that links strategy, evidence and learning. Our MEL System will enable us to monitor performance, identify unintended effects, test key assumptions and continuously improve the effectiveness of our certification scheme. It also strengthens accountability by providing stakeholders with greater transparency regarding how evidence is generated and used to support claims relating to sustainability performance.

Initial outputs from the MEL System are expected from 2027 and will help inform future decision-making, scheme development and reporting activities, including the communication of findings through public outputs such the SBP Annual Review. By embedding monitoring, evaluation and learning more systematically across the organisation, we aim to strengthen our understanding of outcomes and impacts, support continual improvement of the scheme, and provide stakeholders with greater confidence in the role of certification in promoting responsible biomass sourcing. 

Read more about our MEL System.