14th June 2019
On June 12, Bonsucro led the official launch of an impact project in partnership with Earth Innovation Institute (EII) that is set to work on RenovaBio policy in Brazil.
Fifteen organisations were present at the kick-off meeting: representatives from the Brazilian Energy Agency (ANP), Bonsucro members such as Raízen, Copersucar, Tereos, Group São Martinho, Adecoagro, among others, and Bonsucro’s five licensed Certification Bodies.
The project aims to incorporate RenovaBio’s guidelines and criteria into the Bonsucro Standards via the revision of the Production Standard, which began in March 2019. The project also intends to provide national and international understanding of how RenovaBio operates and transfer learning to other countries (particularly those exporting ethanol under the EU RED) for low-carbon emission public/private mechanisms.
The project’s core deliverable is a technical comparative study between the Bonsucro and RenovaBio certification systems. The study is being developed with the support of Agroícone, one of the most respected consultancies in the sector. The study will potentially form the basis for formal recognition of Bonsucro’s certification system under RenovaBio by the Brazilian government.
RenovaBio is the Brazilian National Biofuels Policy, approved by Brazilian’s Congress in December 2017, intended to reduce the emissions intensity of the country in line with Brazilian’s commitments under the COP 21/Paris Agreement. The policy sets specific targets of decreasing carbon footprint of the national fuel mix as well as ensuring a long-term demand for low carbon fuels in the country. The new regulatory framework is being built throughout 2019, and a carbon credits trading facility should come into effect in early 2020. RenovaBio adopts a mechanism for qualifying biofuels according to their respective levels of energy-environmental efficiency through an individual and voluntary certification process, which is conducted by inspection companies nominated by the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
Want to know more?
If you are interested in learning more about the project, please contact Bonsucro’s Regional Coordinator for Brazil, Livia Ignacio
