Improved communication among certification schemes expected to curb dodgy biodiesel activity

In response to the European biodiesel market being flooded with vast quantities of Chinese biodiesel with partially doubtful declarations of origin and feedstock, the voluntary schemes ISCC, 2BSvs, KZR Inig, RSB and REDcert have agreed to improve their already-established communication channels for exchanging certification-related information.

As all schemes already provide a publicly available and up-to-date list of certificates indicating the status and scope of an economic operator’s certification—including the certification history under the particular scheme—there will now be a systematic and immediate exchange of suspended and withdrawn certificates between those schemes.

The sharing of this information will contribute to the common goal of preventing economic operators from “scheme hopping” as a result of suspended or withdrawn certificates.

The exchange of such information allows all voluntary schemes to cross-check new applicants’ backgrounds, particularly their certification history and any related incidents, before they are accepted or contracted under a scheme.

The voluntary schemes have also agreed to establish a regular platform for collaboration through which system updates and continuous-improvement processes can be discussed and harmonized in a mutual and proactive way.

In April, ISCC announced that it had received communications from stakeholders expressing concerns about a surge of advanced biodiesel imported from China and produced from waste and residue materials that are at least partly supplied from Indonesia and Malaysia.

As a result, the ISCC-system requirements were updated and strengthened.

In May, ISCC provided an update on the actions it had taken in response to the situation.