Bioenergy Days Norway

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Miles Watkins
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1 Bioenergy Days Norway Barbara Bramble Chair of the RSB Board of Directors and Senior Advisor, International Wildlife Conservation NWF November 2015

2 Biofuels, Biomass and Bioenergy Neither good nor bad by category It all depends on how and where produced There are valid concerns inadequate legislation Land use change and conservation of biological diversity Water availability Invasive species as new energy crops Real carbon benefit? Social concerns land and water rights, and others That s why credible, practical, and affordable certification is crucial NWF supports RSB for this purpose. 2 Nov 2015

3 Food versus Fuel is a Red Herring Much Too Simplistic #I The real controversy is conflict over LAND and its many uses Nature conservation, human habitation, etc. Land may be available Low productivity/degraded pastures and cropland can be restored But humans don t have a good history of using land carefully Costs of land restoration often discourage investment Native prairies and rangelands are being turned into monocultures 3 Nov 2015

Food versus Fuel is a Red Herring Much Too Simplistic #II Food security can be INCREASED via biomass and biofuels Diversify crops and markets Give value to cover crops and residues Provide

4 Food versus Fuel is a Red Herring Much Too Simplistic #II Food security can be INCREASED via biomass and biofuels Diversify crops and markets Give value to cover crops and residues Provide non-food, seasonally staggered sources of income Provide energy for value-added products (critical for smallholders and local communities) Stabilize grain prices IF mandate for fuels is variable 4 Nov 2015

5 Residues can be Carefully Harvested but Potential Impacts Remain Forestry and agriculture residue harvests should protect wildlife and habitat from Harvesting during nesting, cutting stubble too short, chemicals Soil structure and carbon should be conserved How much residue should be left on the land? Use of cover crops and no till practices could maximize carbon retention But most farmers don t use these yet Rules for these are uncertain/uneven 5 Nov 2015

6 Biomass for Energy More Controversies Threats Habitat loss Bottomland Hardwoods and Longleaf Pine chipped up/for co-firing with coal Whole trees carbon debt for decades masquerading as carbon neutral (during precisely the near-term period where emissions must come down) Large scale power plants may depend on huge woodsheds that exceed local residue capacity Solutions Small diameter use only thinnings and residues for energy/fuel Allow long-lived trees to continue sequestration until harvested for long-lived uses housing, furniture, certain plastics Good forest management FSC standard is RSB selection 6 Nov 2015

7 The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials Started in 2007 at EPFL: WEF, UNCTAD, UNEP, Toyota, Shell, Petrobras, NWF, AdT, WWF The RSB was conceived in controversy, but produced a consensus 7 Nov 2015

8 RSB Stakeholders 120+ organizations from 30 countries including 30 NGOs 8 24/06/2015

9 7 RSB Chambers Producers Farmers End-users, blenders, investors Trade Unions UN, government, research Environment NGOs Rural Development NGOs

10 RSB Principles and Criteria Legal Social Environmental Management and technical GHG emissions Legality Human and Labor Rights Biodiversity Conservation Planning, Monitoring and Continuous Improvement Land rights Rural and Social Development Local Food Security Soil Water/rights Air Use of Technology, Inputs, and Management of Waste 10 Nov 2015

11 Standard for Agricultural and other Residues Specific standard on residues and byproducts Including used cooking oil, animal fats, stalks/leaves, stover (corn stalks) Municipal solid waste, forestry operations Upstream verification for agricultural residues Ensure enough residues to maintain soil organic matter GHG emissions limited to transport and conversion to fuel Direct land-use change Specific requirements for palm oil and tallow.

org/topic/global-hunger-index Rural Development - In areas of poverty should

12 Food Security and Rural Development Food Security - areas prone to food insecurity (Global Hunger Index) should demonstrate improved food security. Rural Development - In areas of poverty should demonstrate improvement of livelihoods. 12 Copyright 2015 Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB)

14 Scope Includes Bioenergy & Biomaterials Bio-chemicals Bioenergy Bio-plastics & Biopackaging Fiber & Lubricants Food additives 14 Nov 2015

15 RSB Approach to ILUC Low Risk Biomass Problem: Indirect impacts occur when land or raw materials are switched from traditional use as food/feed/fiber to a new use for bioenergy or biomaterials. One result may be that the market demands replacement products, which raises the price and induces invasion of additional production areas - the famous Indirect Land Use Change. RSB s Solution: The Low Risk Biomass Approach Developed jointly with WWF International and Ecofys Encourages biomass production/processing which decreases the risk of displacement and competition with the food, feed and fiber sectors Designed as a built-in complementary module for RSB-certified companies who wish to demonstrate a low risk of creating indirect impacts. 15 Nov 2015

ILUC and Food Security RSB first sustainability certification system to develop a Low ILUC Standard for projects which demonstrate that they have no impact on food production.

16 ILUC and Food Security RSB first sustainability certification system to develop a Low ILUC Standard for projects which demonstrate that they have no impact on food production. Based on LIIB Methodology developed by EPFL, WWF and Ecofys. Covers intercropping, yield increase, under-used land and waste materials so far. 16 Copyright 2015 Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) Nov 2015

17 Low ILUC Risk 3 scenarios 1. Yield increase beyond the baseline or double cropping/no additional land conversion 2. Unused or degraded land restoration/avoid shifting cultivation and saves natural habitats 3. Wastes and residues/not requiring dedicated production from arable land 17 Nov 2015

Smallholder Standard Facilitating Market Access Recognizes that smallholders lack documentation & need more time to achieve compliance staged process Smallholders are usually compliant

18 Smallholder Standard Facilitating Market Access Recognizes that smallholders lack documentation & need more time to achieve compliance staged process Smallholders are usually compliant with the social requirements of the Standard A group structure is the best way for smallholders to manage certification. 18 Copyright 2015 Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) Nov 2015

Current RSB Smallholder Projects Macaúba palm oil - Montes Claros region, Minas Gerais Collaboration with Federal University of Minas Gerais South Africa energy

19 Current RSB Smallholder Projects Macaúba palm oil - Montes Claros region, Minas Gerais Collaboration with Federal University of Minas Gerais South Africa energy tobacco, Limpopo Region oil and biomass South African Airways, Solaris, SunChem, SkyNRG Sri Lanka - Gliricidia pellets 30,000 small farmers in group certification 19 Nov 2015

Co-Chair of Sustainable Bioenergy Demonstration ground for Smallholder

20 Facilitating Improved Livelihoods Sustainable Energy 4 ALL: UN / World Bank Initiative one of the Sustainable Development Goals RSB and FAO Co-Chair of Sustainable Bioenergy Demonstration ground for Smallholder projects 20 Copyright 2015 Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) Nov 2015

21 Policy and Regulations Recognized under EU Renewable Energy Directive Influence on policy development: Mexico New South Wales Mozambique Brazil California China Thailand, Mali, Cameroon 21 Copyright 2015 Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB)

Benchmarking and Gap analysis for Certification Efficiency Allows an operation with another robust certification to win RSB certification with simple process (as long as both systems are members of

22 Benchmarking and Gap analysis for Certification Efficiency Allows an operation with another robust certification to win RSB certification with simple process (as long as both systems are members of ISEAL Alliance) RSB has additional requirements for Food Security; Water Rights; Rural and Social Develepment; and specifics for GHG. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) BONSUCRO RSPO Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) Joint certifications could lower costs considerably. 22 Nov 2015

23 RSB In Aviation SAFUG: Formed in September 2008; Active RSB Member Pledge to support verifiable sustainability metrics consistent with the RSB Principles & Criteria; 32 % of jet fuel demand IATA, Airbus, SkyNRG, South African Airways: Active RSB Members Boeing: smallholder programme ITAKA Project in EU: promotes RSB certification Commercial flights: KLM (2013) 23 Copyright 2015 Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) Nov 2015

Aviation Industry Works with RSB Global best practice available around the world, for multiple feedstocks; complementary to national schemes Independent 3 rd Party Audits provide assurance of

24 Aviation Industry Works with RSB Global best practice available around the world, for multiple feedstocks; complementary to national schemes Independent 3 rd Party Audits provide assurance of meeting standards such as food security, biodiversity, land and water rights Promotion of Smallholder production RSB is leading a process of benchmarking with other credible standards 24 Nov 2015

26 «RSB Implementation Support» A programme to support companies on their way to real sustainable practices To participate in the programme «toward implementation» companies publish a commitment to implement the RSB Sustainability Standard in a defined timeframe allocate resources develop a concrete and detailed work plan Commitment Support The RSB Secretariat and its extensive network of sustainability experts share in-depth knowledge (training) and provide hands-on support (consultancy) to help the companies «on the road to RSB implementation» Companies «on the road to implementation» publish Annual Reports (activities carried out to implement the RSB, improvements achieved, confirm timeline, etc.) Stakeholders comment to help companies to determine further areas of improvement. Continuous Improvement 26 Copyright 2015 Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) Nov 2015

27 Final Message Do More than One Thing at a Time So many smart projects solve more than one problem Waste treatment service and get fuel MSW/Sewage/Algae-choked lakes Restore land to productivity and gain fuel Cover crops and intercropping several crops from the same land Numerous ways to produce food and fuel from the same land and resources Moderate intensification of cattle and sugarcane in Sao Paulo, Brazil RSB recognizes these projects 27 24/06/2015

Thank you! Barbara Bramble, Chair of the Board bramble@nwf.

28 Thank you! Barbara Bramble, Chair of the Board Matt Rudolf, Director of Business Development /08/2015

Feedstocks for Advanced Biofuels

Feedstocks for Advanced Biofuels An introduction to the RSB 1 Jnue 2016 Biofuels and Feedstocks Neither good nor bad by category It all depends on how and where produced There are valid concerns inadequate