SBP timeline
SBP created to continue the work of the former Initiative of Wood Pellet Buyers (IWPB) which initially undertook to develop a standard biomass trading agreement with a focus on wood pellet specifications, trading terms and sustainability criteria.
October: News of first Biomass Producer certification in Europe.
September: News of first Biomass Producer certification in the United States of America.
September: First two Certification Bodies approved by SBP.
March to September: Formation of independent Advisory Board, chaired by Julia Marton-Lefèvre (former Director General of IUCN).
March: Launch of the SBP Framework version 1.0.
December: At the end of December, SBP had 127 Certificate Holders across 17 countries.
December: Three Certification Bodies became accredited by ASI for SBP certification.
November: Consultation launched on key documents underpinning multi-stakeholder governance.
September: SBP-endorsed Regional Risk Assessment for Latvia published.
September: MGT Teesside joins SBP as a member company.
June: SBP-endorsed Regional Risk Assessment for Denmark published.
June: Milestone of 100 SBP certificate holders reached.
March: SBP published its first Annual Report, covering the 2016 calendar year.
December: At the end of December, SBP had 210 Certificate Holders across 25 countries.
December: SBP fully approved for the Netherlands SDE+ subsidy regime.
November: Milestone of 200 active certifications achieved.
July: Consultation launched on Instruction Document 2E.
June: Consultation launched on Document Development Procedure.
March: SBP Annual Report 2018 published.
March: New Technical Committee members named.
January: SBP approved for Netherlands SDE+ biomass categories 1 to 4.
December: At the end of December, SBP had 353 Certificate Holders across 33 countries.
December: SBP’s application for approval under REDII received a preliminary positive assessment from the European Commission.
October: Public consultation of Revision Draft v2 Standards 1 to 6 launched and response to the consultation on Revision Draft v1 published.
October: Updated SBP-endorsed Regional Risk Assessment for Estonia published.
September: SBP becomes ISEAL Community Member.
August: SBP-endorsed Regional Risk Assessment for the Province of British Columbia, Canada published.
June: Consultation on minor update and extension of the validity of the SBP-endorsed Regional Risk Assessment for Estonia.
June: Updated SBP-endorsed Regional Risk Assessment for Lithuania published.
June: Public consultation of Revision Draft v1 Standards 1 and 2 launched.
May: Anna van Paddenburg appointed as a Board Director representing civil society.
April: SBP-endorsed Regional Risk Assessment for the Province of Quebec, Canada published.
March: SBP Annual Review 2020 published.
March: Public consultation of Revision Draft v1 Standards 3 to 6 launched.
January: Consultation on extending the validity of the SBP-endorsed Regional Risk Assessment for Lithuania.
December: At the end of December, SBP had 272 Certificate Holders across 31 countries.
November: Public consultation on EU REDII Level A Risk Assessment.
October: Public consultation on SDE+ Instruction Documents.
September: SBP recognised by the Government of Japan
August: SBP Annual Review 2022 published.
June: Strategy for 2023-25 published.
May: Revised Standards )v2.0) launched.
March: Revised Standards (v2.0) approved.
February: Response to consultation on revised Standards (v2.0) published.
December: At the end of December, SBP had 405 Certificate Holders across 35 countries.
December: Final REDIII Level A Risk Assessments for Canada (covering provinces AB, BC, NB, NS, QC), Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Vietnam Forest published.
December: SBP-endorsed Regional Risk Assessment and final REDIII Level A Risk Assessment for US Private Forest published.
December: Certification Body, SGS, accredited by ANAB to deliver SBP certification services.
December: Public consultation on SBP Standards v2.1 launched.
November: Transition to SBP Standards v2.0 deadline met by 97% of Certificate Holders.
November: SBP-endorsed Regional Risk Assessment and final REDIII Level A Risk Assessment for US National Forest published.
October: Inaugural SBP Europe Forum held in Brussels, Belgium.
October: Interim Regional Risk Assessment for Norway Forest published.
July: Public consultation on Regional Risk Assessments for Norway Forest launched.
June: Inaugural SBP Americas Forum held in Atlanta, Georgia.
May: Final REDIII document published.
May: Public consultation on draft REDIII Level A Risk Assessments for Estonia, Latvia , Lithuania, US National, US Private , and Vietnam Forest launched.
May: Interim Regional Risk Assessments for New Brunswick and Nova Scotia Forests, Canada, published.
May: Positive technical assessment under REDIII received.
May: Interim Regional Risk Assessments for British Columbia and Alberta Forests, Canada published.
April: Public consultation on draft REDIII Level A Risk Assessment for Denmark Forest launched.
April; Public consultation on revision to Regional Risk Assessment for Denmark Forest launched.
April: SBP Annual Review 2024 published.
April: Public consultation on non-woody agricultural biomass certification launched.
March: Version 3.0 of The Cascading Principle working paper published.
March: Draft documents for REDIII compliance published.
March: Three SBP Interim Regional Risk Assessments published for Quebec, Canada, US National Forest, and US Private Forest.
February: SBP Asia Forum held in Hanoi, Vietnam.
February: Two SBP Interim Regional Risk Assessments published for Denmark TOF and Vietnam Forest.
September to December: Further refinement and testing of Biomass Assurance Framework Standards version 0.0 and engagement with industry parties.
September: Publication of Biomass Assurance Framework Response to Consultation and Biomass Assurance Framework Standards version 0.0.
April: Close of Biomass Assurance Framework consultation period.
March: Publication of the Biomass Assurance Framework Consultation Draft with an invitation for interested parties to comment.
December: At the end of December, SBP had 74 Certificate Holders across 14 countries, and around a further 60 applications for certification.
December: From 1 December, ASI took on responsibility for reviewing reports in support of applications for certification.
October: The SBP Data Transfer System (DTS) v0.5 was launched on 1 October, facilitating the collection, collation and transmission of data throughout the biomass supply chain.
August: SBP entered into an agreement with Accreditation Services International (ASI) for the management of the SBP accreditation program.
June: SBP-endorsed Regional Risk Assessment for Lithuania published.
May: Carsten Huljus becomes the first, full time Chief Executive Officer of SBP.
April: SBP-endorsed Regional Risk Assessment for Estonia published.
March: By the end of March, 15 SBP certificates had been issued and a further 70 applications for certification received.
December: SBP ended the year as a multi-stakeholder governed organisation.
December: At the end of December, SBP had 154 Certificate Holders across 22 countries.
November: New, nominated Board members and Standards Committee members named.
September: SBP approved for Netherlands SDE+ biomass category 5 and chain of custody.
April: SBP Annual Report 2017 published.
February: Appointment of Francis Sullivan as independent Chairman (effective from 1 July 2018).
January: Fourth Certification Body accredited by ASI for SBP certification.
January: Consultation launched on final draft RRA for Portugal.
December: At the end of December, SBP had 314 Certificate Holders across 31 countries.
October: SBP Audit Portal announced, digitalising SBP audit-related activities.
October: Milestone of 300 certifications achieved.
October: Launch of the Biomass Workshop Series 2020-21 in collaboration with ETIP Bioenergy and IEA Bioenergy.
October: Forest Certification accredited by ASI for SBP certification.
September: Consultation on final draft RRA for the Province of British Columbia, Canada.
May: Standards Development Process launched.
April: Consultation on final draft RRA for the Province of Québec, Canada.
April: SBP Annual Review 2019 published.
March: New SBP branding revealed.
February: Consultation on revised final draft of RRA for Portugal.
December: At the end of December, SBP had 246 Certificate Holders across 34 countries.
November: Final REDII documents published.
October: Public consultation on final revision draft of SBP Standards.
September: SBP receives formal recognition as a voluntary scheme under REDII.
June: Public consultation of Principle 3 of draft Standard 1.
May: Transition to the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) announced.
May: Validities of RRAs for Denmark and Latvia extended.
March: SBP Annual Review 2021 published.
December: At the end of December, SBP had 340 Certificate Holders across 35 countries.
December: Version 2.0 of The Cascading Principle working paper published.
November: Version 1.0 of The Cascading Principle working paper published.
November: EUDR module launched.
November: Public consultation on nine Regional Risk Assessments launched – two revisions of existing SBP-endorsed RRAs, and seven newly developed RRAs.
August: Inaugural SBP Asia Forum held in Hanoi, Vietnam.
July: Revised Theory of Change published.
July: Revised Regional Risk Assessments for Denmark, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania published.
June: SBP Standards v2.0 found compliant with relevant GB legislation.
May: SBP Annual Review 2023 published.
April: SBP Forums launched for Americas, Asia and Europe.
February: First certification under SBP Standards v2.0.
January: Guidance for US REDIII Level B LULUCF assessments published.
January: SBP Strategy for 2026-2030 published.
2013
2026