ISCC and SURE: are they mandatory for companies?
ISCC and SURE standards and schemes have become increasingly relevant in value chains involving biomass, biofuels, biogas, renewable energy and sustainable raw materials. But one question often arises: are these certifications mandatory for every company?
The short answer is no: they are not mandatory for every company, but they can become essential — or practically indispensable — depending on the activity, market, customers and applicable legal obligations.
ISCC EU is a recognised certification system for demonstrating compliance with European Union sustainability and greenhouse gas emission reduction requirements under the Renewable Energy Directive, currently RED III. ISCC itself states that the EU legal requirements set out in RED III apply to Member States and that ISCC EU verifies compliance with these requirements for renewable fuels and the production of electricity, heating and cooling from biomass.
SURE-EU focuses on the bioenergy sector and provides independent verification of the sustainability of biomass and bioenergy in accordance with the requirements of the Renewable Energy Directive.
In practice, a company may need ISCC or SURE if it operates in supply chains involving biomass, waste and by-products, biofuels, bioliquids, biogas, energy production, sustainable raw material trading or supplies to customers who require proof of sustainability. The European Commission states that, in certification through voluntary schemes, an external auditor checks the production chain from the origin of the raw material and energy through to the fuel producer or trader.
Therefore, even when certification is not mandatory in a general sense, it may be necessary for market access, contractual compliance, regulatory eligibility, sustainability accounting, energy-related benefits or acceptance by international customers.
The critical point is to assess each case individually. A company providing only administrative services is unlikely to face a direct ISCC or SURE requirement. However, a company involved in collecting, treating, processing, storing, transporting or trading biomass, waste, used oils, biofuels or raw materials for renewable energy should carefully assess whether it falls within the scope of these schemes.
Conclusion: ISCC and SURE are not universal certifications, but they can be decisive for companies within renewable energy, biomass and sustainability value chains. Whether they are required depends on the legal framework, product, chain of custody, country, customer and destination market.
Call to action: Before assuming that certification does not apply, a company should assess its position: activities, raw materials, customers, product destination, RED III requirements and contractual obligations.