
As the newly appointed accreditation body for the Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP), ANAB is set to launch a new accreditation program in accordance with ISO/IEC 17065, General requirements for bodies operating product certification systems, and the SBP certification scheme.
What is SBP Certification?
The SBP certification scheme is designed to certify woody biomass, mostly in the form of wood pellets and woodchips, used in industrial, large-scale energy production. This helps provide assurance that woody biomass is sourced from legal and sustainable sources. ANAB’s position in the global marketplace allows future global reach of the SBP certification scheme through its geographic growth strategy.
What Are the SBP Standards?
The SBP certification scheme will incorporate the following standards developed by the SBP’s multi-stakeholder development process:
- SBP Standard 1: Feedstock Compliance Standard
- SBP Standard 2: Verification of SBP-compliant Feedstock
- SBP Standard 3: Certification Systems. Requirements for Certification Bodies
- SBP Standard 4: Chain of Custody
- SBP Standard 5: Collection and Communication of Data
- SBP Standard 6: Energy and Carbon Balance Calculation
These auditing standards cover a range of information, from the assessment of the feedstock and demonstration of its origins to the collection of data and calculation of energy and carbon balances. They are intended to promote and maintain an economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable biomass supply chain through the administration of an independent, third party certification system.
ANAB Accreditation for the Sustainable Biomass Program (SBP)
Currently recognized SBP certification bodies began to transition to ANAB beginning February 15, 2022. ANAB anticipates all SBP certification bodies will be transitioned to ANAB’s SBP accreditation program by the end of July 2022.