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

As part of the SBP’s processes and procedures, a Certification Body is evaluated against SBP’s requirements (SBP Standard 3). Where those requirements are not fulfilled a non-conformity is raised against the Certification Body’s own process and procedures. In cases where an approved Certification Body does not effectively implement corrective action of a major non-conformity and demonstrate conformity within the required timeframe, SBP shall immediately start the suspension process.

Consequently, PwC has been suspended (effective date 23 January 2017) for SBP biomass producer (including Supply Base Evaluation) and supply chain certification for Canada and the USA.

Once evidence has been provided that the major non-conformities in question have been closed, and providing the other SBP requirements are still fully met, SBP will be able to lift the suspension. However, the period of suspension shall not exceed six months unless specifically authorised by SBP.

Until the suspension is lifted, PwC shall not enter into new agreements for certification, and may only perform initial certification services with explicit written approval from SBP. PwC shall, however, continue to conduct surveillance audits for existing clients during the period of suspension

On 1 December 2016 (effective date), NEPCon OÜ’s FSC accreditation for Forest Management and Chain of Custody certification in Russia was suspended by FSC’s accreditation organisation, Accreditation Services International (ASI).

It is an SBP requirement that a reduction in scope or suspension of a relevant accreditation, such as for FSC^® or PEFC, by an accreditation body leads to the corresponding suspension of an SBP approval. Consequently, approval for SBP biomass producer (including Supply Base Evaluation) and supply chain certification for Russia was suspended as of 6 January 2017 (effective date).

On 21 April 2017, ASI announced that the suspension had been lifted. Following a review to ensure that the other SBP requirements were still fully met, SBP also lifted its suspension (effective 21 April 2017).

In accordance with the ASI accreditation procedures, the ASI suspension decision was subject to arbitration and as a result of that arbitration process the suspension decision has been deleted from ASI’s records.

SBP’s decision to suspend the approval of NEPCon OÜ in Russia was based solely on the requirement that a reduction in scope or suspension of a relevant accreditation by an accreditation body leads to the corresponding suspension of an SBP approval. In the light of the outcome of the ASI arbitration process, SBP has also taken the decision to delete the suspension decision from its records.

The Sustainable Biomass Partnership (SBP) welcomes the FSC’s consultation on the possible introduction of a voluntary FSC Carbon Footprint Procedure. SBP believes that such an instrument, capable of measuring the carbon footprint of the full range of wood products, would have a positive impact on production and consumption behaviours.

The SBP certification system was introduced in 2015 to provide a tool allowing energy producers using woody biomass to demonstrate compliance with regulatory, including sustainability, requirements. The importance of forest-level certification, such as FSC, is fully recognised by SBP and it has never been the intention of SBP to compete with or replicate such systems. However, limited uptake of forest-level certification in some key forest source areas or wood baskets coupled with the fact that, to date, such systems themselves do not yet cover all the key regulatory requirements faced by users of woody biomass for energy production necessitated the introduction of the SBP certification system.

SBP Chief Executive Officer, Carsten Huljus commented: “SBP is keen to encourage greater uptake of forest-level certification in key forest source areas and this includes encouraging such certification systems to provide a complete solution for wood-to-energy producers.

“We are pleased to see FSC propose the introduction of a mechanism to measure the carbon footprint of the full range of wood products along the supply chain”.

SBP has today announced that Dorothy Thompson is to retire as a director and Chairman of the Board. Thomas Dalsgaard, who has been a director of the Company since 2013, succeeds Dorothy Thompson as Chairman.

Thomas Dalsgaard commented: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to chair the SBP Board. I should like to thank Dorothy for all the work she has put into SBP from its origination to where it is today.

“I look forward to continuing the roll-out of SBP in the market and, in close dialogue with our stakeholders, including the Advisory Board, biomass producers, regulators and NGOs, seeking continuous improvement and development of the system. SBP is a unique certification system for woody biomass, mostly in the form of wood pellets and woodchips, used in industrial, large-scale energy production. When it comes to meeting regulatory requirements for legal and sustainable sourcing of feedstock I am committed to ensuring that the system is fit-for-purpose and robust”.

Dorothy Thompson added: “I’m extremely proud to have chaired the Sustainable Biomass Partnership over the three years since its creation. So much has been achieved, in particular establishing a certification framework providing assurance that woody biomass is sourced from legal and sustainable sources.

“Biomass will continue to play a vital role in enabling the transition to a low carbon future and I wish Thomas well in taking SBP forward at a vital time for the industry”.

On 1 April 2016 SBP published two proposed fee schedules, one for Certificate Holders and one for Certification Bodies, which were scheduled to be effective from 1 October 2016.

In September, the SBP Board decided to defer the introduction of fees for all Certificate Holders. The level of interest shown by organisations wishing to become certified is high and the Board considers that it would be more equitable to introduce fees when a greater proportion of the current applicants have successfully completed the certification process. SBP will use the period of deferral to expand its stakeholder engagement and ensure that there is a greater understanding of the SBP certification scheme throughout the biomass supply chain. It is proposed to publish a fee schedule for all Certificate Holders (that is, wood pellet and woodchip producers, and biomass traders) on 1 April 2017 to be effective from 1 October 2017.

The fee schedule applicable to Certification Bodies covers the costs associated with maintaining Certification Body approval. The applicable fee schedule published on 1 April 2016, which is available on the SBP website, will be effective from 1 October 2016.

A year on from celebrating the first Biomass Producer certification, the Sustainable Biomass Partnership (SBP) has today announced that 50 organisations have now been certified in accordance with the SBP certification scheme. SBP is a unique certification scheme designed for woody biomass, mostly in the form of wood pellets and wood chips, used in industrial, large-scale heat and power production.

The scheme consists of a set of standards and processes and enables producers of woody biomass to demonstrate that they source their raw material responsibly and that it complies with the regulatory, including sustainability, requirements applicable to generators burning woody biomass to produce heat and/or power.

Carsten Huljus, SBP Chief Executive Officer, commented: “SBP has made much headway since the launch of the certification scheme at the end of March 2015. The scheme is already recognised in the UK and Denmark, and SBP is working towards recognition in Belgium and The Netherlands. On top of that, reaching the milestone of 50 certificates issued – a work rate of nearly one certificate issued per week – firmly establishes SBP as an effective certification scheme for biomass users to demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements”.

Wood pellet producers, wood chip producers and biomass traders are all amongst the 50 organisations that have been certified to date. A list of Certificate Holders may be viewed at: www.sustainablebiomasspartnership.org/approvals-and-certifications/certificate-holders.

SBP has today published the pre-approval drafts of Instruction Documents 5A, 5B and 5C v1.1 for consultation. Interested parties are invited to provide written comments on the drafts.

Following the consultation on draft Instruction Document 5A v1.1 earlier in the year, SBP has been working on revising the document to bring it in line with the developing regulatory requirements and the SBP Data Transfer System that will become mandatory for SBP Certificate Holders from 1 October 2016. To help bring clarity to the multiple functions that the DTS will perform, Instruction Document 5A has been split into three Instruction Documents – 5A, 5B and 5C – each covering a different topic. In addition, three templates have been developed to ensure consistency in data collection and communication.

The draft Instruction Documents 5A, 5B and 5C v1.1 can be viewed at: http://www.sustainablebiomasspartnership.org/documents/consultation-documents/live-consultations. Interested parties are asked to tabulate their responses into three columns headed: Section Number; Comments; and Suggested Solution, and to clearly state to which document or template the comments refer. All written comments should be sent to Melanie Wedgbury at mkwedgbury@sustainablebiomasspartnership.org by the close of business on Friday, 23 September 2016.

The Sustainable Biomass Partnership (SBP) and Accreditation Services International (ASI) have today announced that SBP has appointed ASI as an accreditation body for the SBP certification scheme. The agreement between ASI and SBP enhances the integrity of the scheme through introducing another level of independent, third-party oversight at an important point in its development.

Carsten Huljus, Chief Executive Officer of SBP, commented: “In the interests of getting the SBP certification scheme to market in a timely fashion, SBP undertook the approvals role. It was always the intention that, in time, that role would be managed by an external accreditation service provider. The agreement with ASI marks a positive next step in the development of the SBP certification scheme”.

During the transition period, which runs from 2 August 2016 to 31 December 2017, existing SBP-approved Certification Bodies (CBs) will be required to transition to ASI accreditation. More on what that means for SBP-approved CBs and SBP Certificate Holders, that is, certified Biomass Producers and biomass traders, is available on the SBP website (www.sustainablebiomasspartnership.org/sbp-framework/asi-qa).

ASI Managing Director, Guntars Lagūns, emphasised: “ASI has long-standing experience in wood fiber commodities and we are looking forward to using our expertise and capacity to support the development and integrity of the SBP certification scheme”.

SBP is a unique certification scheme designed for woody biomass, mostly in the form of wood pellets and wood chips, used in industrial, large-scale energy production. The SBP Framework consists of a set of standards and processes allowing companies in the biomass sector to demonstrate compliance with regulatory, including sustainability, requirements.

ASI is the sole accreditation body for sector-specific certification scheme owners that develop multi-stakeholder standards to address pressing environmental, social and/or economic issues, such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO).

SBP has today announced that Control Union Certifications BV (CUC) has become the sixth ‘SBP-approved’ Certification Body. CUC has provided evidence that it meets the SBP requirements regarding its existing accreditations and has demonstrated sufficient resource and competence to manage the SBP certification programme.

The SBP certification programme enables producers of woody biomass to demonstrate that they source their raw material responsibly and that it complies with the regulatory, including sustainability, requirements applicable to power generators burning woody biomass to produce energy.

CUC has been approved for worldwide certification of Biomass Producers, typically pellet or wood chip mills, and the biomass supply chain, for example, components of the downstream supply chain, such as trade, transport and processing that require Chain of Custody certification.

Carsten Huljus, Chief Executive Officer of SBP, commented, “We are delighted with the progress made over the last 15 months. We now have six SBP-approved Certification Bodies, which we believe is a testament to the growing importance of the SBP certification programme within the woody biomass to energy market.

“The SBP approval process is both rigorous and robust. I am pleased to confirm that CUC has achieved SBP approval”.

SBP has today announced that DNV GL Business Assurance Finland Oy Ab (DNV GL) has become the fifth ‘SBP-approved’ Certification Body. DNV GL has provided evidence that it meets the SBP requirements regarding its existing accreditations and has demonstrated sufficient resource and competence to manage the SBP certification programme.

The SBP certification programme enables producers of woody biomass to demonstrate that they source their raw material responsibly and that it complies with the regulatory, including sustainability, requirements applicable to power generators burning woody biomass to produce energy.

DNV GL has been approved for the certification of Biomass Producers, typically pellet or wood chip mills, and the biomass supply chain, for example, components of the downstream supply chain, such as trade, transport and processing that require Chain of Custody certification. The geographic scope of the approval allows DNV GL to offer certification services in Denmark, Estonia, Finland and Sweden.

Carsten Huljus, Chief Executive Officer of SBP, commented, “The SBP approval process is both rigorous and robust. I am pleased to confirm that DNV GL has achieved SBP approval”.