The world-leading certification scheme to guarantee high-quality wood pellets, ENplus®, has reported 13.3 million tonnes of certified pellets in 2022, while the certified production this year is projected to surpass 14 million tonnes*.
“In 2022, the pellet market was heavily affected by the energy crisis. The pellet prices increased all over Europe and some countries even experienced problems with pellet availability. The ban on imports from Russia and Belarus led to additional disruptions in the supply chain. However, even in such complicated times, both pellet professionals and consumers remained loyal to ENplus® and their preference for a quality product”, said Catalina-Elena Dumitru, the scheme’s director.
Shortly after the beginning of the Russian war in Ukraine last year, the ENplus® Management suspended the certification of all producers and traders in Russia and Belarus. These companies were no longer allowed to sell ENplus® certified pellets, and applications for certification from these two countries were no longer accepted. The decision reflected upon the total number of certified companies by slowing down the rapid growth observed the past few years.
Despite the war, the certification scheme reported international expansion with more companies from North America and Asia receiving certification. As of April 2023, ENplus® is present in 50 countries around the world with China being the latest one to join the list.
With over 3.5 million tonnes, Germany remains the biggest producer of ENplus® certified pellets in 2022. Austria keeps the runner-up position with a production of 1.5 million tonnes. The top 6 countries with the biggest production of certified pellets is completed by Poland, France, Spain and Belgium.
“In the latest survey we conducted among certified companies, over 80% of them shared that the ENplus® certification is essential to their business. This also explains the increase in certificate falsifications by non-certified companies we have observed over the last year. Unfortunately, some companies dare to cheat to remain as part of the premium market.”, clarified Catalina-Elena Dumitru.
As of April 2023, more than 950 fraud cases have been identified and solved as part of the scheme fraud management.
Additionally, the ENplus® Management keeps an up-to-date blacklist with over 250 fraudulent entities on the scheme’s website.
In 2022, the revision of the certification scheme was concluded. Currently, all certified companies are taking advantage of the one-year transition period for compliance with the new set of requirements, while the applying companies are automatically certified against these new requirements and procedures.
More statistics are available on the ENplus® website.
*Estimation based on the numbers submitted by all certified producers, EPC
Further growth projected for ENplus® scheme this year
