How did the idea of SUSTCERT4BIOBASED emerge?
A plethora of sustainability certification schemes and business-to-business labels have been developed for biobased systems to allow traceability and transparency of sustainability impacts along the value chains and trades. Today, it is essential to evaluate the credibility of these tools and support their harmonization. This is where SUSTCERT4BIOBASED comes into play!
How does SUSTCERT4BIOBASED contribute to harmonisation of existing sustainability certification schemes?
SUSTCERT4BIOBASED will develop a monitoring system to assess the robustness and effectiveness of existing sustainability certification schemes for industrial biobased systems. This will encourage label/scheme owners to improve the coverage and ambition level of their systems to stay competitive and be considered credible. This will drive a voluntary process of improvement towards achieving the requirements defined in the monitoring system and will thus lead to the harmonization of scheme contents and assurance methodologies for existing schemes.
Biobased products are becoming more and more popular to phase out fossil resources. Why are Sustainability Certification schemes and ecolabels necessary in this transition?
Biobased products are wholly or partially derived from biological resources, but still, it is important to ensure their sustainability considering the range of environmental impacts, as well as socio-economic impacts through sustainability certification schemes and ecolabels. They are also vital to promote responsible production and consumption.
What do you think are the key points to increase the adoption of the sustainability certification of biobased systems? How would SUSTCERT4BIOBASED contribute to that?
SUSTCERT4BIOBASED will increase awareness of the existing schemes/labels applicable for biobased products and inform the industry about the costs versus benefits associated with their adoption. This coupled with increased trust in certification systems will enhance their adoption which will be achieved through the implementation of monitoring system requirements.
How can SUSTCERT4BIOBASED contribute further to establishing climate neutrality?
The ultimate goal would be to link the monitoring system with existing (e.g. EU Taxonomy regulation) and upcoming policies. Regulatory support and recognition by the European Commission will be instrumental in achieving the harmonization of schemes and improvement of their performance. The increased adoption of these schemes will provide a wider realization of environmental benefits e.g. climate change mitigation, using natural resources efficiently, restoring and protection of the environment.
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