Nederlandse versie

We are pleased to announce that the Dutch scheme documents are now also available in the NEN webshop as of early December. On the New certification documents page you will find links to the relevant documents.

Implementation period
With the availability of the Dutch documents, a period of 6 months will start, during which it is optional for organizations to be certified according to the new versions.

After 6 months, so as of June 1, 2025, a period of 12 months will start during which it will be mandatory for organizations to be audited according to the new scheme documents.. This includes initial audits, recertification audits and surveillance audits. In the case of surveillance audits, the certificate will also be replaced by a new version that refers to the 2024 scheme documents.

Further information
Further information about webinars and information material about the changes in the new version will follow as soon as possible via this website and via news items to Better Biomass members.

If you have any questions, please contact us at info@betterbiomass.com.

Nederlandse versie

We are pleased to announce that the revised English scheme documents are available in the NEN webshop. On the page Draft new certification documents you will find links to the relevant documents.
The new scheme documents are not yet in force, because the Dutch translation is currently still being worked on. This is expected to be completed in November for the NTA documents

Implementation period
The Committee of Experts Better Biomass has established the following with regard to the implementation periods. The implementation periods below will start as soon as the Dutch versions are available.

After the Dutch NTA documents become available (the Dutch NCS documents may follow later), a period of 6 months will start, during which it is optional for organisations to be certified according to the new versions.

After 6 months, a period of 12 months will start during which all organisations are required to be audited according to the new scheme documents. This includes initial audits, recertification audits and surveillance audits. In the case of surveillance audits, the certificate will also be replaced by a new version that refers to the 2024 scheme documents.

Effective date
The exact dates therefore depend on the availability of the Dutch NTA documents. This is expected to happen around 1 November, which will then mean that the new NTA documents will be mandatory from 1 May and optional until then. If they become available later, the dates will shift accordingly (the possibility of rounding down is reserved, for example if documents become available on 4 November, it will still be mandatory from 1 May).

Further information
Further information about the exact effective date will follow via this website and via news items to Better Biomass members.

Nederlandse versie

The Committee of Experts Better Biomass has approved the new addendum to Interpretation Document N°8 on Greenhouse gas emissions in case of co-digestion for the production of biogas or biomethane.

The addendum specifies that in case of co-digestion of different substrates in a biogas plant for the production of biogas or biomethane, greenhouse gas emissions shall be calculated as a single value for the whole amount of biogas or biomethane and not separately for each substrate used.

The Better Biomass Committee of Experts understands the impact of this interpretation, but also
underlines the importance of a level playing field in the market. Therefore, this interpretation will be
effective as from July 1st 2024. The GHG emission calculations of all biogas and biomethane
produced from that date shall comply with this interpretation.

Nederlandse versie

The DRAFT new documents for certification of biomass for energy applications and biobased products are available on this page. These are the versions as approved by the EC for Directive (EU) 2018/2001 (Renewable Energy Directive [RED II]) and the supplementary Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/996 on rules to verify sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions saving criteria and low indirect land-use change-risk criteria from June 14, 2022.

Before these new documents can come into effect, a number of steps still need to be taken, including translation (NL), final editing and an assessment by the Dutch Accreditation Council. The documents have already been approved by the European Commission. The informative versions of the new scheme documents have been made available so that certificate holders have the opportunity to prepare for them.

It is important to take into account that the final versions may differ from these informative versions. No rights can be derived from these draft documents and the audits are currently carried out on the basis of the Current certification documents.

Nederlandse versie

We hereby inform you about a number of current developments.

Acceptance for IR 2022/996

After a number of assessment and adjustment rounds at the end of 2023, we received notice in (early) January that Better Biomass has been accepted by the EC for the Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/996 on rules to verify sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions saving criteria and low indirect land-use change-risk criteria of June 14, 2022. This implementing regulation is a supplement to the REDII (Directive (EU) 2018/2001).
This does not yet include recognition for forest biomass criteria, Article 29(6) and 29(7) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001. The updates required for this will now be addressed as quickly as possible. Approval has been granted for the draft versions of the new scheme documents. The necessary steps will be taken in the near future to complete the revision of the Better Biomass scheme documents. This will still take some time. We will keep you informed as best as possible and a transition period will apply after publication, so that there is sufficient time for the new version to be applied.

Approval for RCVB

In December, the following additional scheme documents were submitted to RVO for approval in the context of the de Regeling conformiteitsbeoordeling vaste biomassa voor energietoepassingen (RCVB). At the end of December we received notice that this additional approval had taken place. This decision will be published in the Staatscourant.

This concerns the following documents:

• Addendum to Interpretation Document N° 8 on reducing woody residual flows.
• Addendum to Interpretation Document N° 8 on Bone Meal.
• Addendum to Interpretation Document N° 8 on Acceptance of other schemes

Onboarding Union Database for Biofuels

The European Commission, as required by RED 2, is setting up a Union Database (UDB) to ensure transparency and traceability of renewable fuels. The intention is that certificate holders who supply renewable fuels for transport will book their biomass transactions here. (so only suppliers of transport fuels!)

All Better Biomass certificate holders within the scope of the UDB have had their certificate data uploaded to the UDB. As these are all biogas producers, no initial stock registration is yet required nor accounting for their transactions from January 1, 2024. This will only start after the technical links between the UDB and the respective national registers of Guarantees of Origin (GOs) will have been achieved. So we are waiting for a connection with VertiCer, among others. Until then, no transactions need to be recorded in the UDB for gaseous biofuels. We await further instructions on the implementation of the UDB for gaseous biofuel producers.

The Committee of Experts Better Biomass has approved the addendum to Interpretation document N° 8 on Acceptance of other schemes. This addendum specifies that biomass certified according to voluntary schemes and national schemes that are formally recognised by the EC in the framework of the RED II can be accepted and delivered by Better Biomass certified operators as “EU RED COMPLIANT”.

No Better Biomass logo and claim

In these cases, the Better Biomass logo and claim shall not be used of any of the outgoing documents and also not by subsequent economic operators in the supply chain, including issuers of guaranties of origin for green gas or green electricity.
The interpretation does not change the fact that the claim “Better Biomass certified” means that the entire upstream supply chain, including the cultivation or collection of the raw material is certified according to Better Biomass, and the material used in the supply chain consists entirely and solely of Better Biomass material, at least on a quantity bookkeeping basis.

Exclusion

Economic operators which are certified to demonstrate compliance with the legal sustainability requirements of the Regeling conformiteitsbeoordeling vaste biomassa voor energietoepassingen (RCVB) are not entitled to accept materials certified under voluntary schemes and national schemes that are formally recognised by the European Commission in the framework of the RED II, other than Better Biomass. Hence, they cannot use the “EU RED Compliant” option under this legal framework.

More information

More details can be found in the interpretation document. The introduction of the “EU RED Compliant” option is expected to contribute tot the facilitation of trade of sustainable materials throughout the supply chain.

The European Commission has published its decision on the recognition of the ‘Better Biomass’ voluntary scheme for demonstrating compliance with the requirements set in Directive (EU) 2018/2001

The Better Biomass voluntary scheme has been evaluated and has been approved for demonstration of:

• compliance of the consignments of biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels with the sustainability criteria laid down in Article 29(2) to (5) and (10) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001;
• compliance of economic operators with the obligation to enter accurate information into the Union or national database on renewable fuels and recycled carbon fuels used in transport in accordance with Article 28(4) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001.

The scheme also has been confirmed to contain accurate data on greenhouse gas emission savings for the purpose of Article 29(10) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001 in as far as it ensures that all relevant information from economic operators upstream the chain of custody is transferred to the economic operators downstream the chain of custody.

The decision has entered into force on the day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union on 8 April 2022. This decision follows the positive technical assessment last summer.

Implementation Act on sustainability, GHG and low ILUC

The assessment did not take into account the forthcoming implementing act to be adopted in accordance with article 30(8) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001, on rules to verify sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions saving criteria and low indirect land-use change-risk criteria as well as the delegated acts to be adopted in accordance with article 28(5) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001.

The ‘Better Biomass’ voluntary scheme will therefore be re-assessed when such implementing and delegated acts will be adopted. The latest reported progress on this matter is that at its 5^th meeting on the 10^th of March 2022, the RED II Committee on sustainability of biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels cast a positive vote on the draft legal text of the Implementing Regulation on rules to verify sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions saving criteria and low indirect land-use change-risk criteria. This allowed them to launch the adoption process for this legal act. These developments are followed closely by the scheme management of Better Biomass and more information will follow when there is news to report.