WHAT IS THAT
The use of biofuels and bioliquids to replace their counterparts of fossil origin is one of the elements on which the European Union has focused in the fight against climate change.Member States have implemented incentive policies in favor of those companies that meet certain criteria of sustainability of the biomass produced.
With Directive 2009/28/EC, the European Union requires biomass and biofuel producers to comply with criteria that include:
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 60% since 2018.
- The protection of territories with high biodiversity (primary forests, protected areas, etc).
- The protection of territories with important deposits of coal (forests, peat bogs…).
- Soil , water and air protection activities and compliance with international environmental and social agreements.
The biomass business increasingly represents an interesting market opportunity , as evidenced by the numerous companies in the primary sector that have decided to bet on it.
The Ministerial Decree 11/14/2019 "Establishment of the National Certification System for the Sustainability of Biofuels and Bioliquids" was published in the Official Gazette of 28 November 2019 and prepares a certification scheme for the entire biofuels and bioliquids delivery chain.
This scheme, the result of collaboration between the Ministry of the Environment and Accredia, can be verified by accredited bodies according to the UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17065 technical standard "Conformity assessment - Requirements for bodies that certify products, processes and services" and other applicable mandatory documents.
CSQA is an accredited body .
KEY POINTS
Adherence to the National Certification System makes it possible to guarantee that sustainability is respected throughout the entire production chain, from the cultivation or production of the residue to the transformation into intermediate products, up to the production of biofuels (including biomethane) or bioliquids, with reference to the criteria of the RED Directive - Renewable Energies.
In fact, operators must demonstrate, through a Third Party verification , that the aforementioned criteria are met along the entire biomass supply chain .
In addition to the ministerial decree 14/11/2019, the certification scheme consists of the following UNI technical specifications:
- UNI/TS 11429:2020 "Guidelines for the qualification of economic operators (organisations) of the biofuel and bioliquid production chain for the purposes of traceability and the mass balance system",
- UNI/TS 11567:2020 " Guidelines for the qualification of economic operators (organisations) of the biomethane production chain for the purposes of traceability and the mass balance system"