DEKRA now audits and certifies sustainable biomass based on the SURE system. Economic actors can thus provide objective evidence that they fulfill the legal requirements for the sustainable generation of energy or heating and cooling.
The purpose of the Renewable Energy Directive (2018/2001/EC – RED II) is to promote and accelerate the use of energy from renewable sources. It also applies to economic actors who are involved in the supply chain and the production of liquid biofuels, biomethane, or waste wood which are used for generating energy or heating/cooling.
Voluntary certification to the SURE system enables these companies to prove that they meet the relevant sustainability criteria according to a neutral third party. SURE stands for Sustainable Resources Verification Scheme and was developed specifically for verifying the sustainability credentials of the production and use of forestry-derived biomass, agricultural raw materials, and waste and residual materials from biomass which are subsequently used to generate energy and heating/cooling. The SURE certification system has been recognized by the EU Commission.
The audit is performed on site by DEKRA experts, who assess whether a company’s processes comply with the requirements of the SURE certification system. Once the audit documents have been reviewed and deemed to fulfill all the requirements, the companies receive an independent certificate and the DEKRA certification stamp. They can then use this to reliably prove to third parties that they meet all of the RED II sustainability criteria.