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Sustainability Certification A Drop in the Ocean or Real Impact?

 Gernot Klepper

Kiel Institute for the World Economy ISCC e.V.

gernot.klepper@ifw-kiel.de

6.  ISCC  Global  Sustainability  Conference        Brussels,  17.  Feb.  2015  

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Ensure  access  to  affordable,  reliable,  sustainable  and  modern  energy  for  all  

End  hunger,  achieve  food  security  and  improved  nutriFon  and  promote  sustainable    agriculture  

Take  urgent  acFon  to  combat  climate  change  and  its  impacts  

Sustainably  manage  forests,  combat  deserFficaFon,  halt  and  reverse  land  degradaFon,  halt  biodiversity  loss  

The  17  Sustainable  Developments  Goals  (SDGs)  of  the  UN    require  substanFal  changes    in  land  use  and  a  balancing  of  conflicFng  objecFves  

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These  SDGs  require  a  careful  balancing  of  different  objecFves  in  biomass  use  CerFficaFon  is  one  way  of  securing  this!  However,  only  a  small  share  of  biomass  is  cerFfied  by  independent  cerFficaFon  schemes  

 Although  liVle  informaFon  is  available  on  the  share  of  cerFfied  biomass:  •  Appr.  20  percent  of  Palm  •  Appr.  2  percent  of  soy  

Some  part  of  biomass  producFon  is  controlled  through  internal  quality  requirements  of  companies.  Their  extent  and  relevance  for  the  SDGs  is  largely  unknown.  

ISCC  has  conducted  a  survey  on  the  impact  of  its  cerFficaFon  A  sample  amounFng  to  27%  of  all  ISCC  cerFfied  First  Gathering  Point  (FGPs)  was  taken,  i.e.  informaFon  from  6317  Farms  out  of  a  total  of  23  072  cerFfied  farms  was  invesFgated.    The  good  news:  78.8%  of  all  FGPs  had  regular  risk  level!    Only  7%  were  considered  „high  risk“.  

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Out  of  325  audited  farms,  1.097  violaFons  of  54  ISCC-­‐Requirements  occured    (383  Major  Must  Non-­‐ConformiFes  and  714  Minor  Must  Non-­‐ConformiFes)  However,  most  of  them  have  been  corrected!      

 

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5 Source:  Mauser,  Klepper  et  al.  (2015)  Nature  CommunicaFons  

Yield  PotenFals  on  current  cropland  

The  intensificaFon  and  expansion  of  agriculture  to  meet  future  demand  needs  Sustainability  CerFficaFon  that  covers  all  biomass  and  includes  social  sustainability  

6 Source:  Delzeit,  Zabel  et  al.  (2015)  in  „Regional  Environmental  Change“  

In  addiFon:    Hot  spots  and  cold  spots  of  ecosystem  services  should  be  considered  when  markets  demand  an  expansion  of  cropland.    Red  Hot  Spots  need  to  be  avoided  Pink  cold  spots  offer  expansion  without  ecologic  damage  

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The  Message  from  the  CerFficaFon  of  Biofuels:  •  It  is  currently  only  a  „growing  drop“  in  the  ocean  •  Within  the  drop  there  is  real  impact  •  The  experience  with  cerFficaFon  for  biofuels  is:  

•  It  is  feasible  •  It  is  effecFve  •  It  is  affordable  

•  For  meeFng  the  SDGs  of  the  United  NaFons  and  for  securing  a  sustainable  inensificaFon  and  expansion  of  agriculture,  cerFficaFon  is  probably  the  only  way  to  inform  about  land  use  pracFces  and  to  ascertain  their  sustainability.