FS becomes world’s 1st corn-ethanol producer to receive ISCC CORSIA low LUC-risk certification for SAF production

Photo: FS

FS, one of the largest ethanol and animal-nutrition producers in Brazil, announced March 4 that it is the first Brazilian corn-ethanol manufacturer to receive international certification from the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification System GmbH, attesting that its production process meets international requirements for the production and supply of ethanol and corn oil for the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

Furthermore, FS said it is the first ethanol producer in the world to obtain low land-use change (LUC) risk certification in collaboration with one of its second-crop corn suppliers, GGF Group. 

“This certification is an important validation that Brazilian second-crop corn ethanol is a low-carbon feedstock for the production of biofuels on hard-to abate-sectors like aviation,” said FS CEO Rafael Abud. “Airlines will now be able to count on our ethanol as a competitive and highly scalable source to serve this market globally.”

Having zero indirect LUC means that a biofuel such as SAF was produced in a way that does not generate greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions related to indirect land-use change (iLUC).

iLUC refers to indirect changes in land use that can occur when significant areas of land are moved to produce a feedstock for biofuels, such as deforestation or conversion of agricultural land.

This approach aims to ensure that the production of biofuels contributes positively to the reduction of carbon emissions, without causing additional damage to the environment.

ISCC is a global sustainability certification system covering sustainable feedstocks including agricultural and forestry biomass, biogenic waste, circular materials and renewable energy for different markets.

ISCC CORSIA is a voluntary certification scheme that recognizes the eligibility of SAF based on criteria established by the International Civil Aviation Organization, which evaluates various environmental, social and traceability criteria from biomass to the sustainable production of biofuel.

FS’s ethanol-certification process ranged from the agricultural phase and its inputs through biofuel production and transportation to SAF producers.

The part that includes agricultural production was made possible with the participation of one of its suppliers, the Água Santa farm, part of GGF.

In this way, in addition to verifying the carbon footprint of fuel since its agricultural phase, it was confirmed that the iLUC of second-crop corn was zero, adding the low LUC-risk attribute to the ISCC CORSIA certification.

This was the first low LUC-risk certification record verified worldwide, according to FS.

“The certification process is complex,” said Daniel Lopes, vice president of sustainability and new business for FS. “Two years of implementation were necessary, as a number of documentary evidence is required, such as productivity records for more than 10 years and even data on the implementation of improvements in agricultural practices. Scaling a certification like this to hundreds of producers, including small producers, is extremely complex, and requires certification and regulation flexibilization and adjustment for the reality of rural producers.”

Rogério Ferrarin, GGF’s executive director, added, “This certification shows that we already operate in line with the best global agricultural practices, in addition to proving that through the sustainability and traceability of the process we generate an increase in productivity of second-crop corn in the same agricultural area.”