Towards a global system for certified sustainably produced biomass for energy applications
Jarno Dakhorst1, Harold Pauwels1, Ortwin Costenoble1, Michiel Roks2
18th European Biomass Conference, Lyon, 6 May 2010
1 NEN – Netherlands Standardization Institute
2 TU/e – Technical University Eindhoven
Background (1)
• Biomass from green revolution to hot issue
• Establishment project group in 2006 by Dutch
government addressing sustainability
• Final report 'Testing framework for sustainable biomass'
in 2007 with sustainability criteria on:
– greenhouse gases (emissions and carbon stocks)
– competition with food or other local applications
– biodiversity
– environment (soil, water and air)
– prosperity
– social well-being
Background (2)
• Establishment BIOPEC consortium in 2007 aiming at certification system for sustainable biomass
• Certification system requires:
– document with requirements for sustainable biomass production and chain of custody => NTA 8080
– scheme with rules for certification => NTA 8081
• NEN facilitates process to develop and manage certification system
– standard is voluntary agreement on product, process or service
– principles: all parties concerned, transparency, consensus
– NEN is not a certification body, so independent and neutral
NTA 8080 Sustainability criteria for biomass for energy
purposes (1)
• Developed by broadly composed working group =>
25 organizations from industry, NGOs and government
• Translation of criteria from 'Testing framework for
sustainable biomass' in verifiable requirements
• Developed in timeframe of 8 months
• Requirements apply to primary biomass producers
except for greenhouse gas balance (entire supply chain)
• Residues => list of exceptions (based on NTA 8003)
• Small-holders => some exemptions or group certification
NTA 8080 Sustainability criteria for biomass for energy
purposes (2)
• Inclusion of consultation of stakeholders (by both
producers and certification bodies)
• Based on continuous improvement (PDCA cycle)
• Chain of custody => all models possible
• Reference date new production units 1 January 2007
• Available in Dutch and English
NTA 8080 sustainability criteria (1)
Principle Requirement
Greenhouse gas balance
Emission savings compared with fossil reference: • 70% for power & heat, ref. coal-fired installations; innovative technologies 50% • 50% for power & heat, ref. gas-fired installations • 60% for biogas • 50% for biofuels; 35% for some biofuels till 2012
Carbon stocks For new production units: • exclusion of areas with high above-ground carbon stocks • exclusion of areas with high risk of significant carbon losses from the soil • carbon losses shall be compensated within ten years
NTA 8080 sustainability criteria (2)
Principle Requirement
Competition
with food and
other local
applications
Reporting of information, if available, about:
• land use changes
• changes in land and food prices
• availability of biomass for food, energy supply,
construction materials, medicines, etc.
Biodiversity For new production units:
• exclusion of gazetted protected areas and high
conservation value areas incl. 5 km zone around
=> under some conditions not excluded
• 10% of functional area covered with original
vegetation
NTA 8080 sustainability criteria (3)
Principle Requirement
Biodiversity (continued)
For all production units: • compliance with national and local relevant legislation • measures to conserve, recover and strengthen biodiversity
Soil quality • compliance with national or local relevant legislation • measures to preserve and improve soil quality • conditions for use of residues
Water quality • compliance with national or local relevant legislation • measures to preserve and improve water quality • no use of non-renewable water sources
NTA 8080 sustainability criteria (4)
Principle Requirement
Air quality • compliance with national or local relevant legislation • measures to preserve and improve air quality • no burning during construction and operation; under conditions possible
Prosperity • measures to involve local population (also in management) and contribute to local economy
Social well-being
• practices and measures to: – provide good working conditions – respect human rights – respect property rights – contribute to local social well-being – prevent corruption and improve integrity
NTA 8080 chain of custody
Segregation
Book & claim
Mass balance
(required by RED)
NTA 8081 Certification scheme for sustainably
produced biomass for energy purposes (1)
• Developed by broadly composed committee of experts =>
25 organizations from industry, NGOs and government
• Developed and validated in timeframe of 12 months
• Validation by (inter)national projects (pilots)
• Pilots resulted in first interpretation document NTA 8080
• Chain of custody => elaboration of mass balance
• Ready to use, formal publication after acknowledgement
by Dutch Accreditation Council
• To be assessed by EC as tool to prove RED compliance
• Available in Dutch and English
NTA 8081 Certification scheme for sustainably
produced biomass for energy purposes (2)
• Certification scheme describes:
– scope of scheme
– requirements for certification bodies and auditor(s)
– audit effort in man-days
– method of conformity assessment
– assessment frequency and validity of certificate
– 'minor' & 'major' non-conformities and way to deal with
– conditions and requirements for group certification
– necessary information for register and report
– way of complaints, objection, appeal, suspension and de-
registration
Organization structure
NEN Scheme ownership is acknowledged
by Dutch Accreditation Council as
scheme owner
Certification system
Documents and tools:
– NTA 8080
– NTA 8081
– interpretation documents
– central register*
– flow charts on procedures
– system plans*
– web portal www.nta8080.org or
www.sustainable-biomass.org
– …
* in development
Small-holders definition (1)
Characteristics Description
Physical farm size Maximum size differs from 2 to 100 hectares
Financial farm size Various indicators:
minimum 50% of income
maximum income USD 5.000
below average income of village
maximum annual turnover and/or balance sheet
EUR 10 million
maximum USD 100.000 sales and income under
poverty level or half country median
• Challenge: How to define a small-holder?
• Wide variety of definitions:
Small-holders definition (2)
Characteristics Description
Labour
composition
Various indicators:
minimum from 50% to 100% of family (or family
based)
less than 50 employees
Resources Various indicators:
low-tech production system
limited capacity of storage/ processing
capital, assets and infrastructure require
collective marketing
limited endowment relative to other farmers in
sector
low asset base
Small-holders importance
• About 2 billion small-holders (UNIDO)
– in least developed countries over 70% of population derive their
livelihoods from agricultural sector and/or small-holder enterprises
• Small-holders are often poor, but present possibilities for
development
– biomass is often claimed to be useful in increasing income,
improving livelihoods and alleviating poverty
• Small-holders efficient and environmentally friendly
– limited economies of scale in agriculture; small-holders increase
yields by polycultures
– preserving countryside, reducing soil erosion, positively effecting
biodiversity, organic fertilizers, no pesticides, etc.
Small-holders certification (1)
• Concerns small-holders involvement in certification based on their characteristics:
– small => limited voice and bargaining power
– often poor => inability and riskiness of investments
– informal => impossibilities in demonstrating compliance and adopting necessary management systems
• These three factors also present specifically in certification schemes:
– not always considered in initial formulation
– unable to adopt management requirements and demonstrate compliance
– faced with high certification costs
Small-holders certification (2)
Pathways to involve small-holders:
• Releasing from or simplifying requirements
– in NTA 8080: releasing from requirements related to consultation
of stakeholders, prosperity, working conditions, contribution to
social well-being of local population and integrity and simplifying
requirements related to general documentation
• Group certification
– in NTA 8080: small-holders may organize themselves as a group
(being an independent legal entity) => group will be audited as
well as a sample of group members
• No disproportionate benefits should be created
Outlook
Standardization developments:
• CEN/TC 383
– dedicated standards related to RED (at this moment)
– publication in May 2012 and adoption by all CEN members
– NTA 8080 shall be reviewed and revised
• ISO/PC 248
– one standard covering similar scope as NTA 8080
– publication in May 2014, might be adopted by NL
– if adopted, NTA 8080 will be superfluous (certification scheme not)
• Overview of best practices small-holders involvement
Acknowledgments
• All parties who contributed to NTA 8080 and NTA 8081:
Agriculture & Horticulture Organization (LTO)
BioShape
Bosschap
Committee Board for Agriculture
Control Union
Dutch Association for Petrochemical Industry (VNPI)
Dutch Forestry Commission
ECN
Ecolabel Foundation (SMK)
Electrabel
Eneco
Energy Pellets Moerdijk
Essent
Gasunie
IUCN-NL
KEMA Consultancy
KEMA Quality
Kiwa
Ministry of Economic Affairs
Ministry of Environment
NAK Agro
Nature & Environment Foundation
NL Agency
Nuon
Oxfam Novib
Quality Services
Rotterdam Climate Initiative
SGS
Shell
University Leiden
www.nta8080.org | [email protected] | +31-15-2690326
