Preferred by Nature offers verification for biomass producers and traders against the Responsible Biomass Producer standard (RBP), which aligns with the Danish RED biomass legislation and supplements recognised schemes such as SBP, PEFC, and FSC.
RBP Verification applies to biomass producers and traders for the following biomass categories:
Biomass Category
Biomass
Remark
Woody Biomass from Agriculture
Wood chips
Forest Biomass
Wood chips
Danish origin only, unless sourced as FSC, PEFC or SBP certified
Residues from wood industries
Wood chips
Sourced as FSC, PEFC or SBP certified
Waste and residues from production other than agriculture, forestry, and wood industry)
Wood chips
Fruit residues, nut and seed shells, and kernels and stones from fruits and berries
Wood waste
Wood chips
Wood from gardens, parks, and infrastructure inside and outside Denmark
Non-forest biomass
Wood chips
How is the certification process?
Kick off your certification process and receive a service quote by completing our service request form here or by contacting us directly. We will provide guidance to help you determine the certification scope that best suits your needs and company setup. The process typically includes the following steps:
Step 1: Certification scope We will help you define your certification scope. Upon accepting our offer, a Preferred by Nature contact will be assigned to your organization and will provide essential information on certification scope and evaluation criteria to get started.
Step 2: Certification preparation Biomass producers and Traders shall document and implement procedures applicable to the RBP criteria for the business activities and biomass types.
Step 3: On-site evaluation When you are prepared, we will conduct an on-site assessment, reviewing documents, conducting field observations, and interviewing staff and stakeholders to evaluate SBP compliance with applicable criteria.
Step 4: Draft report We will prepare a draft report reviewed by a senior Preferred by Nature expert and share it for your comments before finalisation.
Step 5: Certification Upon achieving a positive outcome, your RBP certificate is issued and registered in the Preferred by Nature public certificate database. Subject to continuous compliance with applicable criteria, the certificate is valid for five years, with annual audits. Renewal requires re-assessment.
Complaints and resolutions If a complaint is raised about our certification services or one of our clients, we handle it in accordance with our Dispute Resolution Policy. We may call on our Impartiality Committee if Preferred by Nature’s impartiality is in question.
Responsible Biomass Producer and Trader standard (RBP)
Preferred by Nature’s RBP Standard includes a set of criteria applicable to producers and traders of the following biomass types (ref. classification published by the Danish Energy Agency in September 2025).
The Standard covers everything from biomass sourcing to its transportation and use. It is based on the following principles:
Sustainability: Biomass should be produced in a way that does not harm the environment or human health.
Legality: Biomass should be produced in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
Transparency: Biomass producers and traders should be transparent about their operations and the sources of their biomass.
Traceability: Biomass should be traceable from the forest source to the point of use.
Cascading: From 1st of July 2026, cascading criteria are mandatory for forest and non-forest biomass.
Applicable Standards
RBP Biomass Producer and trader standard: This standard includes criteria mandatory for all RBP certificate holders. Download the RBP standard here.
RBP VEIII Addendum (Tillæg): This standard includes criteria mandatory to all RBP certificate holders from REDIII entry into force. Download the RBP standard here.
RBP Verified organisations: RBP Verified biomass producers and traders are listed in the Preferred by Nature certificate database here.
Verification is valid for the specified period unless otherwise indicated. For suspended and terminated certificates, the verification is invalid from the indicated expiry date, and from that date the company cannot claim biomass as verified by Preferred by Nature.
Apply for RBP Verification
If you are interested in verification as a biomass producer or trader and would like to receive an offer from us, please complete this formhere.
Regional Risk Assessments and Analysis of other Documentation
Under the Danish RED biomass legislation, certain certification schemes can document compliance with sustainability requirements for specific biomass types. However, certification is not mandatory if compliance with relevant legal requirements can be documented otherwise.
Preferred by Nature has conducted analyses that form the basis for verifying biomass not covered by recognised certifications.
Forest Biomass and Industrial Residual Wood from Sweden
Note that this analysis is based on the Danish REDII requirements and has not been aligned with the Danish REDIII requirements.
The analysis covers the biomass categories Forest Biomass and Industrial Residual Wood harvested in Sweden. It assesses whether biomass not covered by a recognised certification scheme meets the relevant Danish legal requirements. This includes determining whether FSC Controlled Wood-certified biomass from Sweden meets the necessary Danish legal requirements.
Note that this analysis is based on the Danish REDII requirements and has not been aligned with the Danish REDIII requirements.
The analysis concerns non-forest biomass originating from Schleswig-Holstein. As of March 2023, the Danish Energy Agency does not recognise certification schemes for this biomass type. The analysis evaluates whether the management of non-forest areas in the region is covered by legislation that sufficiently ensures compliance with relevant Danish legal requirements for this biomass type.
