ISCC Certification Scheme
Index:
ISCC: the global Sustainability passport
The ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) is one of the world’s leading sustainability certification systems. Initially created to meet the requirements of the European Renewable Energy Directive (RED), ISCC has evolved into a global, multi-sector standard, covering every stage of the supply chain: from agricultural and forest fields right through to the final consumer.
Its primary mission is to ensure complete and verifiable traceability of materials and to guarantee that production and processing adhere to rigorous environmental, social, and economic criteria.
The ISCC system is highly valued for its ability to manage a vast range of raw materials, including agricultural biomass, forestry materials, waste, residues, and advanced recycled and bio-based materials.
ISCC: a general overview
ISCC provides a robust certification system based on three fundamental pillars:
- Environmental sustainability: this mandates compliance with No-Go Areas criteria (protecting areas of high biodiversity and primary forests), calculation of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions, and sustainable agricultural practices.
- Traceability: it ensures that sustainable raw material is not mixed with uncertified material, using strict Mass Balance accounting or physical segregation throughout the entire supply chain.
- Social responsibility: it requires safe working conditions, respect for human rights, and adherence to national laws and ILO (International Labour Organization) conventions.
Thanks to these requirements, ISCC certification acts as a “passport” for accessing markets that demand verifiable proof of sustainability, particularly in Europe and other countries with ambitious regulations.
Read more about ISCC PLUS.
The three ISCC Schemes: ISCC EU, ISCC PLUS, and ISCC CORSIA
ISCC operates through specific schemes, each targeting distinct markets and regulatory requirements.
1. ISCC EU (European Union)
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Target Market | Europa. |
| Regulatory objective | Compliance with the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II). |
| Raw materials | Biofuels, bioliquids, and biomass fuels for energy applications. |
| Primary focus | Calculation and reduction of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and sustainability criteria for energy production. |
| Recognition | Fully recognized by the European Commission as a voluntary scheme to demonstrate the sustainability of biofuels for national renewable energy targets. |
| Third-party certification | Suppliers must certify the final product’s conformity, ensuring compliance with sustainability and GHG reduction requirements. |
Approach and distinction: ISCC EU is the quintessential regulatory scheme. Its structure is entirely focused on meeting the legal parameters established by European legislation (RED II), making it indispensable for anyone wishing to place biofuels on the EU market.
2. ISCC PLUS (Beyond Regulatory Compliance)
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Target Market | Global, for non-energy applications and corporate sustainability (B2B).. |
| Regulatory objective | Voluntary, going beyond EU regulation. |
| Raw materials | Bio-based materials, Circular (recycled/end-of-waste materials), agriculture/food, chemicals, plastics, feed |
| Primary focus | Traceability and sustainability claims for products such as chemically recycled plastics, sustainable fibers, food ingredients, and feed. |
| Recognition | Recognized by major global brand owners who seek to make verifiable sustainability claims about their products. |
| Key distinction | Offers greater flexibility than ISCC EU, allowing companies to demonstrate the sustainability of outputs other than fuel (e.g., plastic from chemical recycling). |
Approach and distinction: ISCC PLUS is the tool for the voluntary market. It allows companies to demonstrate sustainability for a wide range of non-energy products, often using the Mass Balance concept to track sustainable content (bio or recycled) through complex production processes.
3. ISCC CORSIA (Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation)
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Target Market | International Aviation. |
| Regulatory objective | Compliance with the requirements of the ICAO’s (International Civil Aviation Organization) CORSIA program for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). |
| Raw materials | SAF, particularly sustainable Jet Fuel. |
| Primary focus | Relevance for the reduction of CO2 emissions in international air transport, with specific criteria for calculating emission factors. |
| Recognition | Recognized by ICAO as the standard for certifying SAF eligible to contribute to CORSIA emission reduction goals. |
| Additional Scheme | It is often applied as an add-on module to ISCC EU or ISCC PLUS requirements to ensure compliance with aviation requirements as well. |
Approach and distinction: ISCC CORSIA is a niche but crucial scheme, closely linking fuel sustainability to the aviation sector. It requires compliance with ICAO criteria which may differ slightly from EU requirements.
Recognition of third-party certified materials
ISCC does not operate in isolation. The system recognizes and accepts the use of raw and semi-finished materials certified by other global schemes (such as, for example, RSB, Bonsucro, or national systems that have obtained EU approval), provided that the basic traceability and sustainability requirements are met. This facilitates the management of global supply chains that use diverse regional standards.
Relationship between ISCC EU and ISCC PLUS
- Many companies operate with a combined certification (for instance, ISCC EU for biofuels and ISCC PLUS for biopolymers derived from the same inputs).
- While ISCC EU has rigid, legally defined sustainability requirements, ISCC PLUS offers the flexibility to add extra sustainability modules (e.g., water stewardship, corporate carbon footprint) that go beyond regulatory obligation, enabling advanced sustainability reporting.
ISCC: your global Sustainability strategy start with us
The expansion of ISCC certification from energy alone (ETS 1 and RED II) to sectors such as chemicals, circular plastics, and aviation (CORSIA) demonstrates that sustainable traceability has become a fundamental prerequisite for operating in the circular economy.
Navigating the specific requirements of ISCC EU, the flexibility of ISCC PLUS, and the global compliance of ISCC CORSIA requires specialized expertise, particularly in the complex management of Mass Balance and GHG emissions calculations.
Prometheus supports companies in consulting and obtaining ISCC certification, ensuring regulatory compliance and the optimization of Mass Balance processes across all schemes.
Talk to our experts to implement ISCC certification and unlock sustainable global markets.
