RSB Guidance: RG-2020-04 Reactive Guidance on achieving the GHG emission reduction threshold under the RSB Standard for Advanced Products

The RSB Standard for Advanced Products requires that certified final products which are intended to replace fossil derived products should achieve at least a 10% greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction relative to the lifecycle GHG emissions of a comparable fossil product. The purpose of this requirement is to ensure that certified products create a real, measurable and verifiable positive climate impact. In addition, it enables operators to communicate this positive impact to customers.

For operators in the early phase of pilot facilities and innovative processes however, technologies employed at the certified site may not yet be optimised, meaning that the anticipated GHG emission reduction may not yet be achieved. This poses a challenge to these types of operators, who wish to achieve RSB certification early on in their process development and drive market demand for certified sustainable products, but are unable to meet the required 10% GHG emission reduction threshold.

RSB recognise that the RSB standards and certification should serve not as a barrier to innovation but to support sustainability improvements, in-line with the RSB mission to enable a just transition to a net positive world.