ISCC Certification FAQ: Common Questions Answered 2026

Q: What is ISCC certification?

A: ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) is a certification system providing solutions for sustainable, deforestation-free and traceable supply chains of agricultural, forestry, waste and residue raw materials, non-bio renewables and recycled carbon materials and fuels. Independent third-party certification ensures compliance with high ecological and social sustainability requirements, greenhouse gas emissions savings (on a voluntary basis under ISCC PLUS) and full traceability. ISCC has been developed since 2006 through an open multi-stakeholder process and is one of the world's leading certification systems.

Q: What is the difference between ISCC EU and ISCC PLUS?

A: ISCC EU demonstrates compliance with the legal sustainability requirements specified in the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) II and is used for EU biofuel markets, where GHG verification and European Commission reporting are mandatory. ISCC PLUS is a certification system for all markets and sectors not regulated by RED II, such as food, feed, energy and diverse industrial applications, covering all types of agricultural and forestry raw materials, waste and residues, non-bio renewables and recycled carbon materials and fuels. Because the schemes are widely harmonized, one audit can deliver both certificates.

Q: Who needs ISCC PLUS certification?

A: ISCC PLUS is for companies operating in supply chains using the ISCC PLUS system across markets not regulated by RED II — including food, feed, chemicals / technical applications and bioenergy outside the EU. Participants subject to certification include farms and plantations, first gathering points and central offices, collecting points, points of origin for waste and residues, processing units (including mechanical recycling plants and converters), traders, warehouses, and brand owners. A brand owner that makes an ISCC claim must be covered by certification with the trader scope or participate in the ISCC licensing scheme.

Q: What materials are eligible for ISCC PLUS certification?

A: Under ISCC PLUS, all types of agricultural and forestry raw materials, bio wastes / residues and fossil materials contributing to the Circular Economy and Bioeconomy can be certified. All materials certifiable under ISCC EU can also be certified under ISCC PLUS, and materials not on the eligible lists may be certifiable after consultation with and confirmation by ISCC. Three raw material categories are certified at the start of the supply chain: bio feedstocks (virgin biomass such as corn, sugarcane, rapeseed); circular feedstocks (bio-circular wastes like used cooking oil, tall oil and food waste, plus technical-circular streams like mixed plastic waste, waste textiles and end-of-life tires); and renewable feedstocks (non-biological origin derived using renewable electricity).

Q: What are the ISCC sustainability requirements?

A: The ISCC sustainability requirements for farms and plantations comprise six principles: (1) protection of land with high biodiversity value or high carbon stock; (2) environmentally responsible production to protect soil, water and air; (3) safe working conditions; (4) compliance with human, labour and land rights; (5) compliance with laws and international treaties; and (6) good management practices and continuous improvement. These apply equally under ISCC EU and ISCC PLUS. ISCC does not accept any form of compensation or remuneration for breaches of system requirements.

Q: What chain of custody options does ISCC offer?

A: Within ISCC, two chain of custody options exist: physical segregation and mass balance. Additionally, under ISCC PLUS, controlled blending can be used as a third option. Physical segregation keeps sustainable and non-sustainable material physically separate; mass balance keeps sustainability characteristics assigned on a bookkeeping basis while allowing physical mixing; controlled blending is a planned regime giving constant, verifiable content of bio, circular and renewable feedstock in the final product, monitored via physical segregation and clear identification.

Q: What is ISCC mass balance?

A: Under the mass balance system, sustainability characteristics remain assigned to batches of material on a bookkeeping basis while physical mixing of material with different sustainability characteristics — and mixing of sustainable and non-sustainable material — is allowed. Any mass balance calculation relates only to sustainable material. The maximum timeframe for a mass balance calculation is three months, and a mass balance must be site- and scope-specific (a separate mass balance for every production site, even under the same legal entity). The sustainable share equals sustainable input multiplied by the processing unit's conversion factor, which must be determined from operational data (not theoretical) and must not exceed 1. ISCC PLUS allows free attribution of the sustainable share to one or several output materials.

Q: What is an ISCC Sustainability Declaration?

A: Deliveries of ISCC certified material must always be accompanied by the issuance of a Sustainability Declaration. Mandatory general information includes the name and address of supplier and recipient, related contract number, date of dispatch, address of dispatch / shipping point, supplier certificate number, date of issuance, group member number (if group certification), unique declaration number and the statement "ISCC Compliant". Mandatory product-related information includes type of product, quantity in metric tons, m³ at 15°C or MWh (for biogas / biomethane), raw material category, waste / residue statements, post- / pre-consumer status, and the chain of custody option applied. Voluntary information may include raw material, country of origin and applied add-ons.

Q: Is greenhouse gas (GHG) verification mandatory under ISCC PLUS?

A: No. Under ISCC PLUS, verification of GHG emissions is voluntary and is added by applying the add-on 205-01 "GHG Emissions". When applied, the ISCC EU System Document 205 governs calculation and verification, and the GHG add-on must be implemented in the entire supply chain up to the entity claiming a value on the outgoing product. Under ISCC EU, by contrast, GHG verification is mandatory for all elements of the supply chain. Under ISCC PLUS the GHG calculation can cover cradle-to-grave or cradle-to-gate, and the approach must be clearly highlighted on the sustainability declaration.

Q: What voluntary add-ons are available under ISCC PLUS?

A: ISCC PLUS offers modular voluntary add-ons that adapt certificates to specific market requirements. According to the ISCC PLUS System Structure, the add-on documents applicable to the PLUS system include: ISCC Add-on – Electricity and Heat from Biogas Plants; ISCC Add-on – EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR); ISCC Add-on – Food Security Standard (FSS); ISCC Add-on – Non GMO Food Feed; ISCC Add-on – Non GMO Technical Markets; ISCC PLUS Add-on – GHG Emissions; ISCC PLUS Add-on – EN 15343; and ISCC PLUS Add-on – Low ILUC Risk Feedstock Certification. The ISCC PLUS Standard also references add-ons such as SAI Gold and Consumables. All voluntary add-ons are listed on the ISCC website.

Q: How long is an ISCC PLUS certificate valid?

A: The ISCC PLUS Standard refers the issuance and validity of ISCC certificates to ISCC EU System Document 201 (System Basics), which lays down the requirements for registration, audit and certification processes and for the validity of ISCC certificates. The exact validity and surveillance cycle is set out in the general ISCC system documents and applied by the Certification Body. What the standard makes explicit is the need for continuous certification: to transfer credits from one mass balance period to the next, a company must ensure that no time gaps occur between certification periods.

Q: Can ISCC credits be transferred between sites?

A: Under ISCC PLUS, credits can be transferred between sites of the same company, corporate group or joint venture under specific conditions: the supplier and recipient must be part of the same company / corporate group / JV; sites must be within national borders or within neighbouring countries sharing an inland border; it applies only for the same kind of outgoing intermediate or final product (the output on the certificate annex must be the same); mass balances must remain site-specific; and ISCC certification must be in place for all sites. Certificates may be issued by differing certification bodies if full documentation is available. For a joint venture, the company transferring credits must hold at least 50% in the other company.

Q: How do I get ISCC PLUS certified?

A: Certification follows the registration and certification processes described in ISCC EU System Document 201 (System Basics), which covers the supply chain participants, registration and certification processes, and certificate issuance and validity. The typical path is: (1) confirm which supply chain elements and scopes apply to your operation; (2) register with ISCC and engage a recognized Certification Body (CB) meeting ISCC PLUS 103 requirements; (3) prepare documentation including sustainability declarations, mass balance bookkeeping and — for farms / plantations — annual self-declarations; (4) undergo a risk-based audit covering sustainability, traceability and chain of custody (warehouse sample audits may be remote where risk is lowest and documentation is fully verifiable); and (5) receive your certificate. Thanks to the One-Stop-Shop approach, a single audit can also deliver an ISCC EU certificate where relevant.