ANSI Launches Pilot Program: Accreditation to International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) Certification System for Sustainability and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), coordinator of the U.S. voluntary standardization system, has been selected by International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) to be the accreditation body for its certification system for sustainability and greenhouse gas emissions related to biomass products. ANSI is accepting applications for this pilot program through March 26, 2015.

Based on an MOU the two organizations signed, ANSI and ISCC will work in cooperation to regularly assess, monitor, and oversee applicant certification bodies for continuous compliance with ISCC EU and ISCC PLUS certification scheme requirements. ANSI will also verify these bodies' competence in accordance with international standards for accreditation.

ISCC certification can be applied to meet legal requirements in the bioenergy markets as well as to demonstrate the sustainability and traceability of feedstock in the food and feed (chain of custody). ISCC is recognized by the European Commission as a certification scheme that demonstrates compliance with the EU Renewable Energy Directive's (RED) requirements. ANSI accreditation adds value to the ISCC certification process by providing third-party assurance that certification bodies are capable and competent to carry out their responsibilities.

"Adding ANSI accreditation to our ISCC certification program fosters the continuous improvement of ISCC," said Dr. Norbert Schmitz, managing director of ISCC. "We are happy to have ANSI as a reliable partner to monitor the performance of our certification bodies and to keep up the integrity and trustworthiness of ISCC sustainability certification."

Reliance upon accreditation brings another important benefit to ISCC-certified bodies: international relevance and portability. The accreditation assesses that the competence of certification bodies is in conformance with ISO/IEC 17065, Conformity Assessment - Requirements for bodies certifying products, processes and services, in addition to ISCC EU and ISCC PLUS. And because ANSI is a signatory to the International Accreditation Forum Multilateral Recognition Arrangements (MLA) for the accreditation of product certification bodies, an ANSI-accredited certification body enjoys worldwide recognition, reducing the need for duplicative credentials for different markets.

"Accreditation by ANSI creates a valuable attribute for certification bodies," said Reinaldo Figueiredo, ANSI senior program director for product and process accreditation. "We are proud that ISCC has recognized this value and are pleased to partner on this important program."

ANSI's accreditation program successfully meets the requirements of ISO/IEC 17011, Conformity assessment - General requirements for accreditation bodies accrediting conformity assessment bodies, which represents the highest internationally accepted practices for accreditation bodies. The Institute's portfolio of accreditation services includes programs for all types of certification and verification bodies, including those for products, personnel, and greenhouse gas emissions as well as standards developers.

To obtain an application to take part in this new pilot accreditation program, please contact Reinaldo Figueiredo ([email protected]; 202-331-3611), ANSI senior program director for product and process accreditation, or Elizabeth Okutuga ([email protected]; 202-331-3627), ANSI program coordinator for ANSI's product certification accreditation program.

About ANSI
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance U.S. global competitiveness and the American quality of life by promoting, facilitating, and safeguarding the integrity of the voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations. The Institute represents the diverse interests of more than 125,000 companies and organizations and 3.5 million professionals worldwide.

The Institute is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and is a U.S. representative to the International Accreditation Forum (IAF).

About ISCC
ISCC is a globally applicable certification system for all kinds of biomass and biomass-based products to prove sustainability and greenhouse gas emission reduction. ISCC is suitable to demonstrate compliance with sustainability requirements in the liquid bioenergy sector (ISCC EU) as well as in the feed and food sector or for technical and chemical applications (ISCC PLUS). More than 3,000 companies in 92 countries are currently using ISCC schemes. 

SOURCE American National Standards Institute