Overview of recent developments in sustainable biomass certification - Draft for comments

Dec 2006

Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development
Environment and Natural Resources Service, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Oeko-Institut


The objective of this paper is to give a comprehensive outline of initiatives on biomass certification from different viewpoints of stakeholders. The paper focuses on initiatives up until the end of 2006.
The scope of this paper includes mainly new initiatives in the development of biomass certification system, though existing certification systems are also briefly described, as experiences from these systems provide valuable inputs in the discussion. A second objective of the paper is to identify opportunities and limitations in the development of biomass certification and to give, based on this, some recommendations and conclusions. The paper is a deliverable from IEA Bioenergy Task 40.
This report starts in section 2 with an overview of existing certification systems, which can be used as a basis for a biomass certification system. The study includes in section 3 an inventory of initiatives in the field of biomass certification from the perspective of various stakeholder groups.
Stakeholders included are NGOs, companies, national government and international bodies and networks. Section 4 and 5 focus on possible strategies and limitations for the implementation of a biomass certification system, indicated by the various stakeholder groups. Section 6 and 7 conclude with an overall discussion of the developments and possibilities to move forward.

By: J. van Dama, M. Junginger, A. Faaija, I. Jürgens, G. Best, U. Fritsche

 
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