BIOGENIC FEEDSTOCK

Biogenic resources, also called biogenic materials or biomass, are organic materials derived from living organisms or their waste products.

There are many sources of biomass. Due to sustainability aspects such as the risks of taking product away from food and feed provision and the very real concerns about indirect land use change, waste and residue sources of biomass are preferred.  In the so-called Annex IX of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II), the EU has established sustainability criteria for the energetic use of biomass and thus clearly regulated which materials are permissible in order to be able to manufacture products sustainably in the long term.

The advantage of biogenic raw materials is that they are renewable and already available on a large scale. In addition, they can contribute to reducing CO2 emissions compared to fossil fuels. Biomass plays an important role in the development of more sustainable products and processes in the chemical industry, energy production, agriculture and other sectors. In many cases, biogenic raw materials can replace fossil or synthetic raw materials.

MASS BALANCE APPROACH

The mass balance approach is a key step towards a full circular economy and bioeconomy.

The principle of mass balance enables a high level of transparency and traceability along the entire supply chain. It is an essential tool to reduce dependence on fossil fuels as raw materials and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In practice, this involves mixing fossil raw materials with alternative raw materials with different sustainability characteristics - i.e. recycled, renewable or bio-based raw materials - and processing them together to produce a lower-carbon product.

According to the mass balance method, the amount of renewable raw materials used is mathematically assigned to specific products according to their individual formulation. In the case of mass-balanced products, the biogenic carbon in the end product is therefore not reliably detectable.

An important seal of quality is the ISCC PLUS certification. The International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) is a globally recognised system for recycled and bio-based materials.

CIRCULAR MATERIALS

Circular products are part of an approach known as the circular economy. The Circular Economy is about using resources more efficiently, minimising waste and reducing environmental impacts of production and minimising disposal of products.

In the context of the Circular Economy, products are designed and manufactured in such a way that they can be reused, repaired, recycled or otherwise returned to the economic cycle throughout their life cycle.

This approach is becoming increasingly important in various industries and sectors as the world focuses more on sustainability and environmental protection.