ISCC Series: Introduction to the ISCC PLUS Scheme – What You Need to Know

In today’s episode, Intertek’s expert, Florencia Bahamonde, dives into the ISCC PLUS scheme, a voluntary sustainability certification that extends beyond regulatory requirements, helping businesses reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future. In this episode, you will know which type of businesses and supply chain actors can be certified as well as how the set of comprehensive sustainability criteria looks like.  

Speakers: 

• Catherine Beare, Regional Director Business Assurance, UK and Iberia at Intertek 
• Florencia Bahamonde, ISCC Senior Global Program Manager at Intertek 

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Transcript

Catherine Beare  Intertek    
Hello and welcome to Intertek Sustainability Awareness series where we delve into the latest in sustainable practises, certifications and their impact on the world of business and beyond. I am your host, Catherine Beare and today I am delighted to be joined by Florencia Bahamonde, our ISCC Senior Global Programme Manager. Florencia joins us from many years of experience in the world of sustainability and importantly, here in Intertek she heads up our ISCC programme where she provides technical expertise across the globe but is also actually a certified ISCC auditor to all three ISCC schemes. So look, welcome Florencia and thanks for joining me today. 

 
Florencia Bahamonde Intertek    
Hi, Catherine. It's really exciting to be here. 

 
Catherine Beare  Intertek    
Great, we're going to dive into a topic that is crucial for sustainable development and we're going to explore the world of ISCC PLUS certification today. So Florencia, let's just start with the simple basics: What exactly is ISCC PLUS, please? 

 
Florencia Bahamonde Intertek    
Well, so ISCC stands for the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification and ISCC PLUS is a voluntary scheme that is applicable for the bio economy and circular economy for food, feed, chemicals, plastics, packaging, textiles and renewable feedstock derived from a process using renewable energy sources. 

 
Catherine Beare  Intertek    
Fantastic. So look, let's get started and have an overview of what is entailed in the ISCC certification and importantly, explain why it's so important. Please Florencia. 

 
Florencia Bahamonde Intertek    
Absolutely! ISCC PLUS is a voluntary sustainability certification that extends beyond regulatory requirements, covering bio-based, circular, and renewable raw materials. It applies to various industries, including food, feed, chemicals, packaging, and textiles. 

The key importance of ISCC PLUS lies in its ability to verify and ensure sustainability claims throughout the supply chain. With increasing consumer and regulatory pressure for transparency, companies need robust systems to prove the sustainability of their products. ISCC PLUS provides that assurance by verifying that materials meet strict sustainability, traceability, and environmental standards. 

Another critical aspect is its role in advancing the circular economy. By certifying recycled and bio-based materials, ISCC PLUS helps businesses reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to a more sustainable future. 

 
Catherine Beare  Intertek    
Fantastic. Thank you for that explanation. Indeed, and it's fascinating. It's clear that the ISCC PLUS plays a key role in helping industries transition to more sustainable materials and practises. Now that we understand what ISCC PLUS is and why it's important, let's talk about who should consider getting certified Florencia, so can you explain? In your opinion, which companies or industries need ISCC PLUS certification? 

 
Florencia Bahamonde Intertek    
That’s a great question, Catherine! ISCC PLUS certification is relevant to a wide range of industries and supply chain actors, including: 

1. Producers of bio-based and recycled materials – Companies producing bio-based plastics, chemicals, or recycled materials can benefit from certification to validate their sustainability claims. 
2. Manufacturers and processors – Businesses that transform certified raw materials into final products, such as packaging companies or textile manufacturers, need ISCC PLUS to ensure their supply chain sustainability. 
3. Retailers and brand owners – Many large corporations are committed to sustainable sourcing. By ensuring their suppliers are ISCC PLUS-certified, they can provide verified sustainability claims to consumers. 
4. Traders and logistics providers – Those handling or distributing certified materials also need certification to maintain traceability and compliance within the ISCC system. 

Even companies not legally required to obtain certification are increasingly seeking ISCC PLUS to meet customer expectations and enhance their market positioning. 

 
Catherine Beare  Intertek    
Fantastic. Now it's a good point. As sustainability becomes a key factor in business strategy. ISCC PLUS certification isn't just for compliance, I guess, but it's a competitive advantage ultimately. 

 
Companies that proactively certify their materials and supply chains can build trust with consumers and stakeholders ultimately. Let's look a little bit at the criteria. 
The ISCC certification is built on a set of comprehensive and naturally strict sustainability criteria, but could you walk us through high level Florencia how that looks? 

 
Florencia Bahamonde Intertek    

Yes, of course, Catherine. First, there’s environmental protection. ISCC ensures that the production of certified products does not harm high biodiversity areas or regions with high carbon stock. This means no deforestation or destruction of critical ecosystems. 

Next is social responsibility. ISCC-certified operations must adhere to fair labor practices, ensuring safe working conditions and fair wages for all workers involved in the supply chain. 

And lastly, economic viability. ISCC encourages sustainable economic practices that support long-term growth without depleting natural resources. 

Catherine Beare  Intertek    
OK, so the criteria certainly makes ISCC certification robust and of course globally trusted. And you know we were going high level there, but it also seems quite broad now. So maybe let's make this see where specifically is applicable. If we turn our attention to, you know, markets and feedstocks covered by ISCC PLUS Florencia for a second, the ISCC PLUS certification covers different feedstocks and markets. Now can you explain this to our audience? What does that mean? 

 
Florencia Bahamonde Intertek    

Absolutely. The feedstocks eligible under ISCC are divided into the following raw material categories: 

• Purely Bio, virgin agricultural raw materials, like corn, sugar cane, canola, cotton.  
• Bio-circular: waste materials of biological origin, like tall oil, used cooked oil, forestry residues. 
• Circular which includes waste materials of non-biological origin like mixed plastic waste, textiles waste, end of life tires, and also post industrial CO2. 
• And last but not least, renewables which are materials derived from renewable energy, like solar, wind geothermal and other renewable energy sources.  

In terms of markets, ISCC PLUS serves multiple industries, including: 

• Food and feed – Ensuring sustainable sourcing of ingredients and animal feed. 
• Chemicals and plastics – Supporting the transition to bio-based and recycled alternatives in packaging, automotive, and consumer goods. 
• Textiles – Certifying bio-based and recycled fibers to meet sustainability demands in the fashion industry. 

 
Catherine Beare  Intertek   
OK, that's a fantastic breakdown and much, much clearer. It's interesting to see how ISCC PLUS covers such a wide range of feedstocks and industries making it, I guess, well, a truly versatile certification. OK. So like my last one for you, Florencia and which is I'm going to think a common one that everybody wants to know. Can you give us a high-level overview of how companies can get involved with ISCC PLUS please?
 
Florencia Bahamonde Intertek    
Certainly. So we know that sometimes organisation really struggle to find the right information, doubt if their process or materials are really in the scope of the ISCC PLUS certification. So I really suggest that for those interested in learning more and connect directly with the technical expert. 

Certainly. We know that sometimes organizations struggle to find the right information, doubt if their process or materials are in the scope of the ISCC PLUS certification, so I suggest that for those interested in learning more and connect directly with a technical expert, please feel free to reach out to us and maybe Catherine if you can provide us the details, that will be great. 

Catherine Beare  Intertek    
So look, if you are interested in speaking to one of our many global experts across the globe, there in your local language, just drop us an e-mail at business.assurance@intertek.com where our team will put you in touch with the relevant local expert to help you talk through your ISCC certification needs.  

So that is all for today's episode of Intertek’s ISCC awareness series so thank you for tuning in and a special thanks to you Florencia for continuing to share your fantastic technical insights with our audience. Stay tuned and we will continue diving into the ISCC certification in our next episodes. Thanks all.