ENSO, second group in Europe to certify Sustainability of its Biomass Management (SURE scheme/ REDII EU Directive)

On the 1st of September, Bioelectrica de Garray and Gestion de Biomasas, both belonging to ENSO, obtained their SURE Certificate for their Sustainable Biomass Management. ENSO became the second group in Europe to obtain it, even before the EU Directive for REDII was in force in Spain.

ENSO is firmly committed to sustainability and develops its protocols and internal work instructions so perfect traceability is achieved. For this reason, the certification of our two companies has been possible and fast, as it has not implied substantial changes to our processes, only a documentary adaptation to SURE System.

In any case, the Sustainability of forest biomass originated in Spain is beyond doubt due to the applicable regulation. This regulation has been in place for many years and is extremely restrictive in many aspects. However as the Directive is of application for all biomass entering the EU, including countries of origin with real risks regarding sustainability, the documentary obligations are very demanding.  Document needs for biomass supply imply a Risk Assessment (Regional in the Spanish case, issued by the competent authorities) determining that the Risk is Low. For this, it is needed the joint effort of the different Regional Authorities (Autonomous Communities). Only when this process is completed (some Regions have already published their assessment), the biomass with a Self-declaration of origin and a Risk Evaluation Document will allow that both, the company and the supply chain, comply with the RED II Directive and can be certified as sustainable.

More information about this was presented in the 2021 Valladolid Bioenergy Congress: “ENSO Experience: implementing REDII directive”. Video soon available in AVEBIOM Youtube channel.