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RSB and EU RED II: Important Updates

We are pleased to confirm that RSB has successfully completed the first stage of assessment by the European Commission to EU RED II (Renewable Energy Directive (EU) 2018/2001) requirements.

This means that RSB is in full compliance with the preliminary EU RED II assessment criteria. The next stage will be for RSB to participate in the process of assessment to the Implementing Act on voluntary schemes that is expected to be released by the EU Commission in late September.

The Implementing Act  is now available in draft form and was open for public consultation until 27 July 2021. RSB has consulted with the RSB General Standards Working Group and submitted feedback to the EU Commission to help to strengthen the Implementing Act.

As soon as the final Implementing Act is released by the EU Commission, RSB can begin the process of final recognition, by incorporating all outstanding requirements in the RSB EU RED scheme documents. 

Finally, the Implementing Act is expected to be formally adopted at the end of 2021, at which point its requirements will be legally mandated. The EU is set to require immediate implementation of the new requirements  and RSB is ready to support operators through this swift transition.


About RSB EU RED

RSB has been recognised by the European Commission for EU RED certification since July 2011. Certification to the RSB EU RED Standard enables operators to access EU markets and demonstrate compliance with RSB’s best-in-class sustainability requirements – which go beyond those mandated by the EU and are widely recognised as the most robust approach for the bio-based and circular economy.

EU RED II will include new sustainability requirements and be extended to cover biomass for heating and cooling and power generation (having previously covered only liquid fuels), which are already included within the scope of RSB’s approach to the full bioeconomy. With the use of woody biomass, particularly for power, being an area of particular risk, RSB has convened its multi-stakeholder community to develop a specific approach for mitigating the significant sustainability challenges inherent in the use of forest resources and ensuring that calculations on Greenhouse Gas emissions correctly account for the use of forest carbon stocks. It is intended that this Standard Amendment will be approved for use in 2021 and will be a requirement for all operators in the RSB system, including those certified to EU RED II.

Achieving and maintaining recognition by the European Commission is a complex process and has involved input from the whole RSB team, as well as our members and operators who have provided feedback on requirements and worked to advocate for most robust requirements within RED II.

RSB’s Executive Director, Elena Schmidt, notes, “The hard work of the RSB team, led by RSB’s new Standards Director Nicola Noponen, and our stakeholders saw RSB be the first to submit our documentation for approval by the European Commission. We continue to advocate for more robust approaches to sustainability within the RED II requirements to further the impact of RSB’s most robust sustainability approach developed over years by a multi-stakeholder group. RSB will continue to support RSB’s EU RED operators to demonstrate their compliance with the recast EU RED II requirements as the Commission clarifies these in the run up to the publishing of the Implementing Act.”


Recognition of RSB

In addition to being recognised by the European Commission for EU RED certification since 2011, with all current requirements for upcoming recognition for EU RED II fulfilled, RSB has achieved regulatory recognition for its Standard elsewhere.

  1. RSB is officially recognised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) for the certification of CORSIA-eligible Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) with its new RSB CORSIA Standard.
  2. RSB’s Japan FIT Standard is recognised by Japan’s Ministry for Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) to unlock access to Japan’s Feed in Tarif (FIT) system for the production of renewable electricity. 

These recognitions enable RSB operators in a variety of contexts to fulfil national or international regulatory requirements while also demonstrating compliance to RSB’s best-in-class approach to sustainability in the bio-based and circular economy.

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