For the chain, the certification of products means that mandatory reports need to be drawn up for suppliers and customers, but also for national authorities. “Although we are all part of one Europe, every country still has its own regulations,” Koos continues. “In the Netherlands we have the so-called ‘AA list’, while in Belgium it is the ‘Vlarema’ that determines the choice of biomass for a biogas plant. And Italy has its own list with permitted biomass. When we need to report in Belgium, there is a further difference between Wallonia and Flanders.” All this demands the full attention of Renewables' department of Quality Assurance.

Asked what a ‘self-declaration’ (zelfverklaring) means for Renewables, Koos replies: “With a self-declaration, a supplier declares that the product it supplies is sustainable according to European regulations, and that it is willing to demonstrate this to third parties through audits, if required. With a self-declaration, a supplier does not need to be certified for sustainability (ISCC/REDII). If they are certified for sustainability, then a self-declaration isn’t necessary. For Renewables, a self-declaration means that it assumes the responsibility, the costs and the associated administration. This is very convenient for the supplier, as it can dispense with administration and with keeping a quality handbook. We therefore prefer to see that a supplier is ISCC certified.”