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🌱 Comprehensive Guide on ISCC, Traceability, and Emission Calculation

Matias OKeefeOctober 22, 2025

What is ISCC?

ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) is one of the most recognized certification schemes worldwide to verify the sustainability and traceability of agricultural, energy and chemical feedstocks, with a strong focus on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It is particularly important in regulated European markets such as biofuels, bioenergy, food products and renewable chemicals.

ISCC has two main schemes:

  • ISCC EU: complies with the requirements of the European Union Renewable Energy Directive (RED II).
  • ISCC PLUS: used for voluntary non-regulated markets, such as food, feed, biochemical products and bioenergy outside the scope of RED II.

Principles of the ISCC system

The ISCC standard is based on 6 fundamental principles:

  1. Protection of high biodiversity and carbon value lands.
  2. Environmentally responsible use of soil, water and air.
  3. Safe and fair working conditions.
  4. Legal compliance.
  5. Management of sustainable practices.
  6. Reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

How does traceability work in ISCC?

Traceability in ISCC is based on the “mass balance” principle. This means that certified sustainable products may be mixed with non-sustainable products along the supply chain, but the proportion must be documented and verified at each point.

What is ISCC?

ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) is one of the most recognized certification schemes worldwide to verify the sustainability and traceability of agricultural, energy and chemical feedstocks, with a strong focus on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It is particularly important in regulated European markets such as biofuels, bioenergy, food products and renewable chemicals.

ISCC has two main schemes:

  • ISCC EU: complies with the requirements of the European Union Renewable Energy Directive (RED II).
  • ISCC PLUS: used for voluntary non-regulated markets, such as food, feed, biochemical products and bioenergy outside the scope of RED II.

Principles of the ISCC system

The ISCC standard is based on 6 fundamental principles:

  1. Protection of high biodiversity and carbon value lands.
  2. Environmentally responsible use of soil, water and air.
  3. Safe and fair working conditions.
  4. Legal compliance.
  5. Management of sustainable practices.
  6. Reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

How does traceability work in ISCC?

Traceability in ISCC is based on the “mass balance”. This means that certified sustainable products may be mixed with non-sustainable products along the supply chain, but the proportion must be documented and verified at each point.

Traceability stages:

  1. Primary Production Unit (e.g. farm): certification of the sustainable origin of the raw material.
  2. First collection point: volumes are consolidated and traceability is verified.
  3. Intermediate processing or transformation: mass balances are updated and the sustainable status is maintained.
  4. Final customer / exporter: receives documentation with the entire verified chain of custody.

At each stage, evidence documents, sustainability declarations, mass balance records and valid ISCC certificates must be maintained.

What role does emissions calculation play in ISCC?

One of the most important pillars of ISCC (especially in the ISCC EU scheme) is the calculation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with each unit of product.

What is it for?

It allows demonstrating that sustainable products generate lower emissions than fossil fuels and comply with the thresholds required by the European Union (for example at least 65% emission savings for advanced biofuels).

How are emissions calculated in ISCC?

The calculation is based on the methodology established by RED II (EU Renewable Energy Directive II) and can be done in two ways:

1. Use EU default values

  • For certain crops and production routes, the EU publishes standard emission values.
  • They are practical but do not always represent the local reality of the producer.

2. Calculate actual (updated) values

This is the most transparent and accurate approach, and it allows demonstrating real savings. This is where platforms like ucrop.it come in.

General formula:

E = eec + el + ep + etd + eu + esca + eccs + eee – esca – eccr – eee

Where:

  • eec: Emissions in the cultivation stage (fertilizers, diesel, machinery, etc.)
  • el: Emissions from land use change (deforestation, wetlands, etc.)
  • ep: Processing
  • etd: Transport and distribution
  • eu: Emissions from fuel use (if applicable)
  • esc, eccs, eee, etc.: credits or avoided emissions

How can ucrop.it help in an ISCC-compatible system?

The ucrop.it platform, while not a certifier itself, can technically support many of the processes required by ISCC:

✔ Traceability

  • Georeferenced registration of agricultural lots.
  • Information captured directly from the producer: location, practices, dates, responsible parties.
  • Documentary proof and verifiable field evidence.

✔ Emissions calculation

  • Recording of inputs, fertilizers, machinery and transport distances.
  • Algorithms compatible with the calculation of eec (cultivation emissions).
  • Ability to simulate savings compared to EU standards.

✔ Chain of custody

  • Tracking the product from the field to collection points or exporter.
  • Immutable event records (blockchain-ready) that support audits.

✔ Reports and data export

  • Generation of documents and JSON ready to be used by ISCC certifiers.
  • APIs to share data securely and in a standardized way with auditors or buyers.

Conclusion

ISCC is a robust system to ensure the sustainability and traceability of agricultural feedstocks, and its correct implementation requires georeferenced traceability, mass balances and a rigorous calculation of GHG emissions.

ucrop.it, as a digital MRV (Monitoring, Reporting and Verification) platform, is well positioned to act as a technology partner in ISCC certification projects, providing the data, reports and evidence needed to validate the origin and environmental footprint of agricultural products.

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