Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SUSTCERT4BIOBASED (Sustainability Certification for Biobased Systems)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2022-06-01 do 2023-11-30
During the last decade, the EU has invested heavily into transitioning from a linear fossil-based economy towards a circular biobased economy. A successful transition should secure environmental, social, and economic sustainability. To this end, a plethora of certification schemes and labels (CSLs) have been developed as major tools for global production and trade to become more sustainable and for the private sector to demonstrate its commitment to corporate responsibility. Yet, there must be ways to evaluate the performance of these tools. This is where SUSTCERT4BIOBASED comes into play!
The SUSTCERT4BIOBASED project aims to develop a monitoring system to promote the adoption of the most robust and effective CSLs for industrial biobased systems.
The expected impact is that sustainability CSLs become robust, effective, and comprehensive in coverage and are harmonized towards achieving the requirements defined in the monitoring system. Increased awareness on the existing CSLs and costs versus benefits associated with their adoption, coupled with increased trust in certification systems with their assured credibility will enhance their adoption. This in turn will allow increased transparency and traceability of sustainability impacts along the value chains and trades within the EU and globally.
The SUSTCERT4BIOBASED project aims to develop a monitoring system to promote the adoption of the most robust and effective CSLs for industrial biobased systems.
The expected impact is that sustainability CSLs become robust, effective, and comprehensive in coverage and are harmonized towards achieving the requirements defined in the monitoring system. Increased awareness on the existing CSLs and costs versus benefits associated with their adoption, coupled with increased trust in certification systems with their assured credibility will enhance their adoption. This in turn will allow increased transparency and traceability of sustainability impacts along the value chains and trades within the EU and globally.
Currently, the project is halfway and on track to achieve its goals. Together with sister projects STAR4BBS and HARMONITOR, the BiobasedCert cluster was formed, where close collaboration in a variety of joint activities is achieved, including but not limited to the development of the BiobasedCert Monitoring System (BMS), preparation of policy briefs and organisation of workshops and events.
The highlights from this first period are summarised as follows. A categorisation was made for the range of biological resources intended for industrial biobased systems under four main categories (primary, secondary, tertiary residues, and primary dedicated) and 22 sub-categories. A categorisation of biobased products was made according to the sector in which they are used from the six industrial sectors (construction, woodworking, textiles, pulp and paper, chemicals and plastics) using NACE codes and corresponding subcategories from PRODCOM. A multicriteria methodology was applied for ranking to identify 18 most representative biobased value chains linking the biological resources and biobased products. For a selection of these value chains, data was gathered on global trade flows concerning EU production and trade volumes using international statistical sources, as well as on the extent of their certification. Furthermore, a conceptual model has been defined that can be used to empirically assess the potential impact of certification on trade flows of biobased commodities. Moreover, a collation of sustainability principles and criteria applicable to biological resources and biobased products was made by reviewing relevant EU legislation, standards and CSLs in the field of sustainable bioeconomy. Factsheets were prepared on 11 selected sustainability CSLs for industrial biobased systems. As input for the development of the BMS, 18 existing assessment and benchmarking tools and guidelines were reviewed with a focus on their requirements and rating and scoring methodologies used in the evaluation of CSLs. Finally, a methodology for conducting a cost and benefit assessment was proposed following a review of literature on their application to sustainability CSLs and on methods for internalising externalities.
The highlights from this first period are summarised as follows. A categorisation was made for the range of biological resources intended for industrial biobased systems under four main categories (primary, secondary, tertiary residues, and primary dedicated) and 22 sub-categories. A categorisation of biobased products was made according to the sector in which they are used from the six industrial sectors (construction, woodworking, textiles, pulp and paper, chemicals and plastics) using NACE codes and corresponding subcategories from PRODCOM. A multicriteria methodology was applied for ranking to identify 18 most representative biobased value chains linking the biological resources and biobased products. For a selection of these value chains, data was gathered on global trade flows concerning EU production and trade volumes using international statistical sources, as well as on the extent of their certification. Furthermore, a conceptual model has been defined that can be used to empirically assess the potential impact of certification on trade flows of biobased commodities. Moreover, a collation of sustainability principles and criteria applicable to biological resources and biobased products was made by reviewing relevant EU legislation, standards and CSLs in the field of sustainable bioeconomy. Factsheets were prepared on 11 selected sustainability CSLs for industrial biobased systems. As input for the development of the BMS, 18 existing assessment and benchmarking tools and guidelines were reviewed with a focus on their requirements and rating and scoring methodologies used in the evaluation of CSLs. Finally, a methodology for conducting a cost and benefit assessment was proposed following a review of literature on their application to sustainability CSLs and on methods for internalising externalities.
The results of the project as well as the insights gained along the way are used to derive recommendations for four key target groups: policymakers, the sustainability system community, industrial biobased value chain actors, and regional/rural bioeconomy actors. Continuous engagement is maintained to shape the recommendations based on the needs and (perceived) barriers identified among these target groups. Policymakers will be informed about the current landscape of biobased value chains and certification. They can benefit from a monitoring system that can be integrated into policy to drive the harmonisation of schemes. Sustainability CSL owners can enhance the performance of their schemes/labels by looking at the identified potential gaps and weaknesses by means of the monitoring system. This will drive continuous improvement in the sustainability performance of biobased systems. For industrial actors, the project results will increase awareness about the range of existing CSLs and the costs and benefits of their adoption. Regional stakeholders will benefit from recommendations on how to implement the best practices derived from the project and adopt them into their regional bioeconomy strategies.
To furthermore ensure the contribution of biobased products to the circular economy, circularity was considered as a separate dimension with its own set of principles and criteria, along with the environmental, social, and economic dimensions. The scope of the circularity dimension was extended beyond waste management to include sustainable resource use, recyclability, use of recycled materials and lifetime extension strategies. These themes are currently not specifically or explicitly addressed in CSLs.
To furthermore ensure the contribution of biobased products to the circular economy, circularity was considered as a separate dimension with its own set of principles and criteria, along with the environmental, social, and economic dimensions. The scope of the circularity dimension was extended beyond waste management to include sustainable resource use, recyclability, use of recycled materials and lifetime extension strategies. These themes are currently not specifically or explicitly addressed in CSLs.