Accessibility and traceability in sustainable biofuel supply chains
This report assigned by the Netherlands Platform for Sustainable Biofuels aims at providing recommendations to policy makers, certification schemes and companies in the Dutch biofuels sector on how to increase transparency and improve traceability of sustainability information and access to such information, especially for high risk supply chains.
The report starts by highlighting the importance of complete, correct and accessible information on feedstocks and their supply chains to avoid sustainability risks. It then points to three main risks that can arise from lack of adequate and available information:
- Non-compliant feedstock/residue at origin
- Information altered at gathering/collection point
- Unclear Chain of Custody management
The report then explores the options of an EU-wide traceability database as a potential solution for tightening the traceability of biofuel supply chains and improving transparency.
At the regulatory level, it recommends looking into the possibility to introduce measures for an EC driven (independent) supervision of voluntary schemes and their processes. It also emphasizes the importance of aiming for a harmonization at European level to ensure a level playing field and avoid “shopping between certifiers”. At the Dutch level, it highlights the opportunities of using the provisions included in the Dutch Verification protocol for double counting.
For certification schemes, recommendations include the implementation of a standard of transparency, increasing the sampling and auditing of higher risk supply chains such as UCO chains, increasing the cooperation and information exchange between certification schemes, among others.
Finally, for the Dutch sector, it recommends, among others, the identification and sourcing from responsible hubs, promoting the use of “best in class” certification schemes and the adoption of a front-running role by using a single interim database.
