The world-leading certification scheme for wood pellets celebrates ten years of operations. First launched in 2010, the ENplus certification scheme has contributed to the development of the premium pellet market by introducing and maintaining harmonized pellet quality along the entire supply chain. As of November 2020, there are more than 1 040 certified pellet producers, traders, and service providers, in 47 countries on six continents.
The ENplus scheme was initially designed by the Deutsche Pelletinstitut (DEPI) in 2010 in Germany. Later, DEPI transferred the rights to the European Biomass Association (AEBIOM) – now known as Bioenergy Europe – for the further development of the scheme at the European level.
Today, ENplus is managed internationally by the European Pellet Council (EPC), a network of Bioenergy Europe, with 14 national partners – 12 national licensers and two national promoting associations. The total global production of ENplus certified pellets for this year is expected to be close to 13 million tonnes.
Moreover, the total production of certified pellets since the scheme’s establishment has been estimated by the European Pellet Council (EPC) to be almost 74 million tonnes. In energy terms approximately 8.9 billion (US) gallons of heating oil.
Robust and stringent quality scheme
The certification scheme is based on the ISO 17225-2 standard but goes well beyond it with additional, more stringent requirements. These are enforced by a network of independent auditors and partners, guaranteeing the constant quality of the certified pellets in a transparent and credible manner.
Furthermore, the European Pellet Council and its national partners dedicate significant efforts to protecting the market for certified companies and consumers by actively fighting fraud. Over the past decade, more than 700 fraud cases have been identified and resolved.
To celebrate the scheme’s 10th anniversary, the ENplus management is organizing a variety of consumer-oriented initiatives including a photo contest and win up to one tonne of certified pellets for the upcoming winter season. Statistics and videos dedicated to the anniversary will be available on the ENplus social media accounts.
