The Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP) has today announced the publication of the Interim Regional Risk Assessment (RRA) for Norway (available here). Interim RRAs are developed in accordance with the RRA Procedure v2.0. They support Certificate Holders in implementing risk mitigation measures and enable Certification Bodies to verify compliance with SBP feedstock requirements until the SBP-endorsed RRA for the region becomes available.
The geographical scope for the RRA is the entire forested area of Norway. However, as most of that area is certified according to PEFC, the RRA is limited to PEFC certified forests. The SBP Benchmarking and Recognition Framework and its associated evaluation of the PEFC scheme concludes that 31 of the 42 indicators of SBP Standard 1 are fully covered by PEFC certification. Accordingly, the RRA addresses only the 11 indicators of SBP Standard 1 that are not already covered by PEFC certification at the forest level.
Preparation of the Interim RRA started with the development of a draft RRA prepared by the responsible Working Body – the consortium of Stora Enso Skog AS, Norsk Biobrensel AS, Viken AT Market AS, AT Skog SA and Nortømmer AS, supported by a team of experts from NORSKOG. This was followed by rigorous technical and quality reviews by SBP, independent local expert reviews, and a public consultation conducted by SBP itself, ensuring a transparent and inclusive approach.
Stakeholder engagement has been a critical component of the RRA development process. All comments received have been reviewed and taken into account. This comprehensive process ensures that the published interim RRA provides a robust foundation for assessing and mitigating risks within the specified region.
Once an SBP-endorsed RRA is available for a region, Certificate Holders using the Interim RRA must assess any changes in risk ratings. Should a final SBP-endorsed RRA indicate a shift from low risk to specified risk, Certificate Holders will be required to update their Supply Base Evaluation accordingly. A six-month transition period will be granted for Certificate Holder to implement the SBP-endorsed RRA, with compliance verified during the Certification Body’s next surveillance audit.
