Sustainability Certification for Biobased Systems

Project Information

SUSTCERT4BIOBASED

Grant agreement ID: 101059785

DOI

10.3030/101059785

Project closed

EC signature date 25 April 2022

Start date 1 June 2022

End date 31 May 2025

Funded under

• Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

Total cost

€ 1 999 750,00

EU contribution

€ 1 999 750,00

Coordinated by

STICHTING WAGENINGEN RESEARCH
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SUSTCERT4BIOBASED (Sustainability Certification for Biobased Systems)

Reporting period: 2023-12-01 to 2025-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

During the last decade, the EU has invested into transitioning from a linear fossil-based economy to a circular biobased economy. A successful transition should secure environmental, social, and economic sustainability. To this end, a plethora of certification schemes and labels (CSLs) have been developed as tools for global production and trade to become more sustainable and for the private sector to demonstrate its commitment to corporate responsibility. Yet, the performance of these tools should be evaluated. This is where SUSTCERT4BIOBASED comes into play!
Central to our efforts is the BIOBASEDCERT Monitoring Tool (BMT), a system to assess the effectiveness, robustness, and comprehensiveness of existing CSLs for biobased systems. It helps evaluate and enhance existing certification schemes to align with EU sustainability goals and contribute to a circular and sustainable bioeconomy.
The expected impact is enhanced adoption of effective and robust CSLs with increased knowledge of them and the costs and benefits associated with their adoption, coupled with increased trust in certification systems due to stronger assurance of credibility. This, in turn, will enable increased transparency and traceability of sustainability impacts along the value chains within the EU and globally.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

SUSTCERT4BIOBASED has generated significant achievements and a plethora of data, information, methods and tools that can drive further enhancement of the sustainability certification of biobased systems.
Together with sister projects, the BIOBASEDCERT cluster was formed. The cluster collaborated closes in a variety of activities, including the development and testing of the BIOBASEDCERT Monitoring Tool (BMT) and the preparation of policy briefs.
The highlights from the project are summarised as follows. Biological resources and biobased products were categorised under six industrial sectors (construction, woodworking, textiles, pulp and paper, chemicals and plastics). A multicriteria methodology was applied for ranking the identified 18 most representative biobased value chains. For a selection of these value chains, data was gathered on the global trade flows concerning EU production and trade volumes, as well as on the extent of their certification. Moreover, a collation of sustainability principles and criteria applicable to biological resources and biobased products was made by reviewing relevant EU legislation, standards and CSLs. Factsheets were prepared on 11 selected sustainability CSLs for industrial biobased systems. SUSTCERT4BIOBASED led the development of the content level of the BMT, consisting of the assessment of the requirements CSLs set out for operators seeking certification , while supporting the development of the system and outcome levels. The BMT was tested on 9 CSLs covering different feedstocks and sectors. Based on the testing, individual recommendations were provided to each CSL on opportunities for improvement in their standards. Furthermore, a new cost-benefit assessment (CBA) methodology was proposed, incorporating environmental and social externalities into the methodology to better understand the true feasibility of adopting sustainability certification. This methodology was used in assessing certification in three biobased value chains (sugarcane, cotton, wood). Finally, thematic briefs were prepared for the targeted stakeholders.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

Main results from SUSTCERT4BIOBASED project are:
• Classification of biological resources and biobased products (D1.1)
• Catalogue of CSLs for industrial biobased systems (D1.2)
• Identification of the most representative biobased value chains in the EU (D2.1)
• Quantification of global trade flows of selected biobased value chains (D2.2)
• BIOBASEDCERT Monitoring Tool (D3.3)
• Testing of the BMT on selected CSLs (D3.2)
• Cost benefit analysis (CBA) for sustainability certification (D4.1-D4.4)
• Thematic briefs to targeted stakeholders (D5.1-D5.5)
Through project results, policymakers are informed about the current landscape of biobased value chains and the role of sustainability certification. CSL owners can enhance the performance of their schemes/labels by addressing the identified opportunities for improvement. industrial actors, the project results increase awareness about the range of existing CSLs and the costs and benefits of their adoption. Finally, regional actors gain insight into more sustainable practices and the value of certification, which they can adopt into their bioeconomy strategies.
The recognition and adoption of the BMT by the EC would be a significant step to drive transparency and facilitate the potential harmonisation of existing CSLs. This could pave the way for using CSLs in EU co-regulation frameworks to boost the market for sustainability-certified biobased products. For CBA of adoption of CSLs, data limitations posed a challenge. This is not only due to sensitivity of the data, but the fact that measuring the externalities is often not required. To address this, policymakers and certification bodies may consider introducing standardized reporting requirements for environmental and social impacts to enhance the accuracy of CBAs for biobased value chains
SUSTCERT4BIOBASED’s consortium has successfully raised awareness among these stakeholders through various channels, including physical events, online workshops, bi-annual network of interest meetings, the project website, and social media posts.

BIOBASEDCERT Monitoring Tool (BMT)

SUSTCERT4BIOBASED approach