SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES Verification Scheme GmbH (SURE) has announced that it has ceased all certification activities in Belarus and Russia as of March 14, 2022. In view of the worldwide sanctions against Russia and Belarus and the resulting restrictions on the economic ability of Russian and Belarusian companies to act, SURE will not accept any applications for system participation from economic operators from these countries until further notice.
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Jointly owned by Bioenergy Europe and REDcert GmbH, SURE is a sustainability certification system that has defined verifiable criteria for the production of electricity and heat from solid biomass and biogas to enable EU’s Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) compliance for all economic operators.
SURE is a value-based voluntary scheme with a high level of social responsibility for the verification of sustainable production and the use of biomass for energy.
In addition to ecological compatibility and a noticeable contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the elementary principles of sustainability also include social justice, the preservation of democratic principles, and respect for human rights.
According to a statement, Russia’s attack on Ukraine with the participation of Belarus contradicts these values and necessitates the cessation of SURE’s certification activities in Russia and Belarus from March 14, 2022.
Currently, no economic operators from Russia or Belarus participate in the SURE scheme. In view of the worldwide sanctions against Russia and Belarus and the resulting restrictions on the economic ability of Russian and Belarusian companies to act, SURE will not accept any applications for system participation from economic operators from these countries until further notice.
In principle, SURE reserves the right to examine and reject applications for system participation from all economic operators regardless of their origin or location.
In addition, SURE’s risk-based approach and participation in group certification procedures of economic operators from Russia and Belarus are no longer possible. Producers of agricultural or forestry biomass as well as producers of waste and residues from Russia or Belarus who are members of a certified group of producers not based in these countries may only deliver sustainable biomass within the framework of this group membership until March 31, 2022.
The measures relate to the production and use of forest biomass, agricultural raw materials, and waste and residues from biomass.
All SURE affiliated certification bodies are required to check the origin of the biomass in detail during the audits of economic operators and to check compliance with international sanctions and the SURE system requirements.
