What is ISCC Certification?
ISCC certification is a sustainability certification scheme managed by the ISCC organization. It verifies that biomass, biofuels, bioliquids, and other renewable raw materials meet defined sustainability, traceability, and greenhouse gas emission requirements across the supply chain.
The ISCC certification schemes most relevant to global supply chains are:
ISCC PLUS - sustainable supply chains in the food, chemical, and recycled materials sectors
ISCC EU - aligned with RED II, covering biomass, agricultural and forestry waste, and renewable energy
ISCC CORSIA - for international aviation, focused on the reduction and compensation of CO₂ emissions
ISCC is managed by the ISCC organization. QIMA supports ISCC certification through its wider Food & Agrifood certifications and sustainable supply chain services.
The Three Pillars of ISCC Certification
ISCC certification is built on three core pillars:
Sustainability - raw materials produced without deforestation, with biodiversity preservation, efficient use of natural resources, and respect for social criteria
Traceability - inputs are tracked from their origin to the final product
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions calculation - emissions are tracked across the supply chain, supporting climate change mitigation
What Does ISCC Certification Cover?
ISCC certification covers the different players involved in the biomass and renewable materials supply chain, including:
Primary producers, non-mandatory certification (crops, plantations, origin points of waste)
First intake points/collection points
Conversion units (intermediate products or final fuel)
Traders of raw materials/intermediate materials or final fuel
ISCC certification also aligns with wider sustainability goals, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions, protection of high biodiversity land, and respect for labor and land rights across the supply chain.
How QIMA Supports ISCC Certification
QIMA supports companies through the ISCC certification process, including pre-assessment, on-site audit, corrective actions, and the certification decision. Once an audit result is issued and approved, the outcome is reported to ISCC.
Why Get ISCC Certification?
The ISCC ensures that:
Greenhouse gas emissions are reduced
Biomass is not produced on land with high biodiversity and high carbon stock
Good agricultural practices and the protection of soil, water, and air are applied
Human, labor, and land rights are respected
High traceability requirements ensure that biomass can be traced throughout the entire supply chain. Additionally, the ISCC provides methodologies to calculate mass balances and verify greenhouse gas emissions throughout the supply chain.
How the ISCC Certification Process Works
The ISCC certification process follows six steps:
Choose a certification for your market
Select a certification body
Register in the ISCC Client Section and ISCC HUB
Register with ISCC
Undergo an audit by your certification body and receive your ISCC certificate
Handle sustainable materials and use ISCC logos and claims
Sectors and Materials ISCC Certification Applies To
ISCC certification applies across a wide range of sectors and material types, including:
Circular economy: plastic recycling, reuse of fossil-based products, plastics, synthetic products, resins, textiles
Production of plant and forest biomass: grains, fruits, vegetables, grasses, horticultural crops, trees
Industrial production: food, chemicals, cosmetics, personal hygiene items, biofuels
Waste: used cooking oil, wood sawdust, effluents from vegetable oil refineries, industrial soot
Other: fuels for power generation, heating or cooling, e-fuels, biogas, aviation biofuels
Who is ISCC Certification for?
ISCC certification is relevant across the biomass and renewable materials supply chain, including operators that produce, handle, convert, or trade sustainable raw materials and their derivatives.
Farmers and primary producers
Agricultural traders
Oil mills, sugar mills, ethanol producers
Biomass warehouses
Conversion units producing intermediate products or final fuel
Traders of raw materials, intermediate materials, or final fuel
Why Choose QIMA for ISCC Certification?
Responsive support throughout the ISCC certification process
Direct technical support during pre-assessment, audit, and certification decision
Transparent certification workflow so you know where your file is at each stage
Service quality validated through a QIMA NPS score of 72
Efficient audit scheduling to reduce site visits and cost
Combined-scheme audits where relevant, to reduce the number of site visits
Streamlined document review and pre-assessment to reduce time on-site
Local auditor deployment across QIMA’s regional network
QIMA experience in certification and sustainability
Over 30 years’ experience in food safety, organic certification, and sustainability
Certification services across the full food and agrifood supply chain
Digital audit management and reporting through the QIMA platform
ISCC Certification FAQs
What is ISCC certification?
ISCC certification is a voluntary sustainability certification scheme that verifies biomass, biofuels, and other renewable raw materials meet defined sustainability, traceability, and greenhouse gas requirements across the supply chain.
What does ISCC certification cover?
ISCC certification covers the actors that produce, handle, convert, and trade biomass and renewable raw materials. This includes primary producers, first intake and collection points, conversion units producing intermediate or final products, and traders.
Who needs ISCC certification?
ISCC certification is relevant for farmers, agricultural traders, oil mills, sugar mills, ethanol producers, biomass warehouses, conversion units, and traders of raw materials, intermediate materials, or final fuel that need to demonstrate sustainability and traceability.
How does the ISCC certification process work?
The ISCC certification process typically includes requesting a proposal, pre-assessment, online registration, an on-site audit, and a certification decision. Once approved, QIMA reports the outcome to ISCC.
What benefits does ISCC certification provide?
ISCC certification supports reduced greenhouse gas emissions, protection of high biodiversity land, good agricultural practices, and respect for labor and land rights. It also supports supply chain traceability using ISCC’s mass balance and GHG methodologies.
Which ISCC schemes are recognized?
The most recognized ISCC scheme variants are ISCC PLUS for sustainable supply chains in the food, chemical, and recycled materials sectors, ISCC EU for compliance with RED II covering biomass, agricultural and forestry waste, and renewable energy, and ISCC CORSIA for international aviation focused on the reduction and compensation of CO₂ emissions.
How long does the ISCC certification process take?
The ISCC certification process follows six defined steps: choose a certification for your market, select a certification body, register in the ISCC Client Section and ISCC HUB, register with ISCC, undergo an audit and receive your ISCC certificate, then handle sustainable materials and use ISCC logos and claims.
Want to learn more? Download the QIMA ISCC certification overview.