Steps for certification

SURE certification as prove for sustainable biomass

Legal framwork

On 21.12.2018, Directive (EU) 2018/2001 (REDII) entered into force, which obliges operators of plants for the generation of electricity or heat from biomass to demonstrate the sustainable production and use of biomass.

The European Union is thus reacting to the expected increase in the share of bioenergy to cover energy demand and is now also setting sustainability criteria for solid biomass (analogous to RED I for liquid biomass).

The obligation to provide proof of sustainability within the context of RED II, which will be in force from 01.01.2022, applies to plant operators above a certain minimum size (see Article 29 of RED II), but has a direct impact on the entire biomass supply chain, as usually only the producing and supplying economic operators can meet the requirements (keyword traceability).

SURE is designed to fulfill these sustainability requirements.

What is SURE?

The certification system SURE (SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES Verification Scheme) is a voluntary certification system and was developed for the production, supply and processing chains of solid and gaseous biofuels according to the requirements of RED II. The SURE certification is applicable to

producers, processors and distributors

  • of straw, maize, bagasse or other energy crops, and
  • harvest residues, wood chips or sawdust.

as well as companies that

  • produce biomass fuels
  • generate heat/ cold and electricity, or
  • trade biomass, heat/cold

derived from such materials.

More information about the SURE system can be found here.

Why a SURE certification?

As a company concerned, you can prove through a SURE certification that the biomass used comes from sustainable sources and thus gain access to the European markets and possible subsidies.

Important steps for SURE certification

  1. Registration SURE (for companies not yet certified)

    – Registration under www.sure-system.org
    – Verification of registered data by SURE
    – Contract between company and SURE
    – Confirmation of participation by SURE

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  2. Initial information

    – Company completes GFA questionnaire
    – If necessary, clarification of further details and open questions
    – GFA evaluates information

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  3. Proposal & Order

    – Preparation of certification proposal by GFA
    – Placing of a certification order by the company

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  4. Implementation by the company

    – Preparation of the necessary system documentation
    – Implementation of procedures

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  5. Main audit

    – System audit by GFA auditor (if necessary, checks at suppliers)
    – Presentation of audit results and discussion of corrective measures
    – Certification decision by GFA
    – Remedy of major deviations by the company

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  6. Certificate

    – Issuance and dispatch of the certificate by the GFA
    – Registration of the certificate with SURE and BLE by the GFA
    – Surveillance audit after six or three months (certain WaR plants)

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  7. Recertification before 12 months

    – Implementation of the recertification audit

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What does GFA Certification offer?

GFA Certification is recognized by the SURE System as a certification body and can offer tailored SURE certification solutions for your company. Companies with an existing certification according to FSC and PEFC can benefit from combined audit procedures.

For a certification proposal, please request a proposal via the button “request proposal” or contact us directly:

Sabrina Koch

Tel.: +49 40 5247431 130 or  +49 151 15056621

Email.: teambiomasse@gfa-cert.com