What the certificate actually covers, how chain of custody works, and the documents an auditor will ask for.
ISCC certifies a supply chain, not a molecule of oil. The certificate confirms that sustainability and traceability requirements are met along every link from collection to the last processing unit.
For waste-based feedstocks such as UCO and POME, the critical questions are origin, waste status, chain of custody and the greenhouse-gas calculation. A certificate without a matching sustainability declaration does not make a cargo compliant.
| ISCC EU | ISCC PLUS | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Biofuels and bioenergy for the EU market | Voluntary markets, food, feed, chemicals, plastics |
| Legal basis | RED III (and prior RED II) requirements | ISCC PLUS standard, beyond RED |
| Typical use | UCO / POME to HVO, SAF, biodiesel in the EU | Bio-based chemicals, circular materials, non-EU markets |
| Chain of custody | Physical segregation or mass balance | Physical segregation, mass balance or controlled blending |
Which one you need depends on the destination and the claim being made. Many supply chains hold both; they are not interchangeable.
Physical segregation keeps certified material separate through storage and transport. It is simpler to explain and easier to audit, but costs more in logistics.
Mass balance allows certified and uncertified material to be mixed physically while the certified quantity is tracked administratively. It reduces logistics cost but demands rigorous bookkeeping: every input, output, conversion factor and stock movement must reconcile.
The most common audit finding is not fraud — it is an unreconciled stock movement or a conversion factor applied inconsistently between months.
Invoice, bill of lading, certificate of origin and the certificate of analysis — the same documents as any cargo, but they must reference the certified volume consistently.
EU rules increasingly scrutinise whether waste-based feedstock is genuinely waste and whether the claimed GHG saving is accurate. Collectors and traders should be ready to show that the material would not otherwise have been used for food or feed, and that the calculation follows the applicable methodology.
Rules change. Treat any summary — including this page — as a starting point and confirm the current requirements with your certification body before making a claim.
No. The certificate applies to the company and the supply chain. The cargo needs a sustainability declaration that references the certified chain.
Under mass balance, yes, with correct accounting. Under physical segregation, no. The choice must be consistent with the claim you sell.
The certification body audits the economic operator holding the certificate, and samples the upstream chain. Collectors must be able to evidence origin and volume even if they are not individually certified.
Typically 2–4 months for a first audit, depending on scope and readiness. Existing chains can add products or sites faster.
Buying or selling certified UCO or POME? We can map the chain and tell you which documents are missing before the audit.
