Sustainability requirements for solid biomass under the SDE++-scheme

How do you demonstrate that the biomass used comes from sustainable sources?

There are a couple of ways to demonstrate that the biomass used comes from sustainable sources:

• One or a combination of several approved certification schemes.
• A combination of one or more approved certification schemes and additional verification.
• Verification only.

Certification schemes 

Do you want to use certified biomass in your installation? Then your installation itself as well as the whole supply chain has to be certified by the same certification scheme (chain of custody). More information about how to get certified can be found on the website of the certification scheme. 

Only certification schemes that are approved by the Minister of Climate Policy and Green Growth (minister van Klimaat en Groene Groei) can be used to demonstrate that the biomass complies with the Dutch legal sustainability criteria. Certifications schemes can be fully or partially approved for the sustainability criteria. If a scheme only part of the sustainability criteria covers, it is possible to cover the remaining criteria with another approved certification scheme or by verification. 

Verification 

During a verification, a Conformity assessment body (CAB) checks the applicable sustainability criteria of a consignment of solid biomass. More about the verification process and how the verification should be carried out, can be found in the Verification Protocol for Sustainable Biomass that must meet the Criteria in the Regulation on the Conformity Assessment of Solid Biomass for Energy Applications under the SDE (++) Scheme (hereafter: the Verification Protocol). A CAB can also issue a conformity year statement to an energy producer, based on the requirements of the Verification Protocol. 

Currently, the only CAB recognised by the Minister for verification is Control Union.  

A new version of the Verification Protocol has been published in January 2025. This version must be used for verification of individual consignments of biomass that change legal ownership after 31 December 2024. The Dutch version of the Verification Protocol 2025 can be found below. To prepare the conformity year statement for energy supplied in 2024, you must refer to version 3 (2023) of the Verification Protocol. The English version of the Verification Protocol 2023 can be found below. To prepare the conformity year statement for energy supplied in 2025, version 4 (2025) should be used.

What are Conformity assessment bodies (CABs)?

CABs play a rol in demonstrating the sustainabilty of biomass. They are authorised to perform 3 types of activities. A CAB:

• can issue a certificate to economic operators based on a certification scheme that has been fully or partially approved by the Minister;
• can issue a verification statement for an individual consignment of biomass to an economic operator based on the requirements of the Verification Protocol;
• can issue a conformity year statement to an energy producer based on the requirements of the Verification Protocol. 

The Dutch Emissions Autority (NEa) is responsible for monitoring this private system of sustainability certification, and for the activities performed by CABs. 

Which certification schemes and CABs can be used? 

Do you want to know which certification schemes are fully or partially approved by the Minister? And which CAB’s are recognised? This and more can be found on the web page Certification of solid biomass under the SDE++ scheme.

Annual reporting

You can demonstrate that the biomass complies with sustainability criteria by submitting an annual report. This report should specify the sustainability characteristics of all biomass used in your installation. You must include a conformity year statement with the report. This statement must have been issued by a recognised CAB.

What are the criteria that the conformity year statement must meet? And how should the verification be carried out? You can find this information in the Verification Protocol.

The following documents (in Dutch) can be used for your annual report: 

Legal basis sustainability requirements

The legal basis for the sustainability requirements can be found in the publications (in Dutch) below.