SBP accepts four more certification bodies as applicants

SBP has announced that a further four Certification Bodies have been accepted as applicants and are now able to progress towards achieving SBP-approved status. The applicant Certification Bodies are: Forest Certification, KPMG Performance Registrar, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and SGS.

The SBP Framework of standards and processes enables producers of woody biomass to demonstrate that they source their raw material responsibly and that it complies with the regulatory, including sustainability, requirements applicable to European power generators burning woody biomass to produce energy.

Under the SBP Framework the Biomass Producer, typically a pellet mill, is certified by a SBP-approved Certification Body. To become SBP-approved, a Certification Body must first provide evidence that it meets the SBP requirements regarding its existing accreditations and it must also demonstrate that it has sufficient resources and competence to manage the certification programme.

The next step for an applicant Certification Body is to satisfy SBP of its competence to undertake an audit of a Biomass Producer against the SBP standards in a real-life situation.

Peter Wilson, executive director of SBP comments: 'Significant interest has been shown by Certification Bodies in becoming SBP-approved and we are pleased to accept Forest Certification, KPMG Performance Registrar, PwC and SGS as applicants. We will now work with each of them as they progress towards SBP-approved status.

'This is a significant step in establishing the SBP Framework as an efficient tool for users of biomass for energy production to demonstrate compliance with regulatory, including sustainability, requirements.'