Bio-based construction materials

Carbon credit eligibility criteria

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1. Measurability

‍Definition: The avoided/reduced emissions are quantitively and rigorously measured.

Information needed:

• Expected lifetime of products
• FDES (Fiches de Déclaration Environnementale et Sanitaire) qualification
• EPD (Environmental Product declaration) research with avoided/removed emissions

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2. Real

‍Definition: The emission removal/avoidance has actually occurred, according to the monitoring plan.

General KIIs used in LCAs to show real removal and avoidance occurred are:

• CO2 eq  avoided per functional unit of material (kg, m2, m3… should be in FDES)
• Amount of biogenic feedstock incorporated per construction material
• Numbers of construction materials produced per year (m2, ton/year)
• Percentage of feedstock with PEFC/other certification of sustainable management

These will be used for year-on-year verification.

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3. Additionality

‍Definition: The project activity would not have occurred without the sale of carbon credits.‍

Information needed:

Regulatory additionality:

None of the project's activities are made mandatory by law.

The following regulations get insight into the project's activities:

• French Environmental Law: sets a minimum threshold of 50% of biobased materials for public buildings.
• The French Energy Transition Law
• REACH regulation
• French Bioeconomy strategy

‍Financial additionality:

1. Proof that the money for the carbon credit sale will be used to extend an existing factory, buy a new product necessary for the company to scale, open a new factory branch…

• Are there any material improvements (in machinery, infrastructure…) you want to make on the site that could be funded from carbon credit sales?
• Are there any improvements in efficiency or environmental performance that you could implement with this funding?

1. Carbon credits can help structure stay afloat

• How have changes in the cost of your inputs (electricity..ect…) increased over time?
• Compared to the expected costs, defined in the budget and planning for the project?
• How has the price that you sell your products for changed?
• Has it kept up with the increased cost of operation?

‍Prevalence additionality:

• ‍‍ Prove that the solution is currently far from being market practice.
• Show how additional fundings could help the product be more competitive - inputs are too expensive, prices too high…- in order to scale and be adopted more widely.

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‍Technological additionality:
Carbon credit money can be invested in new previously - unreachable technology for the project to scale

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4. Permanence

Definition: Carbon will be removed/avoided for at least 50 years, and the project outcomes will not be reversed.

Information needed:

Determine the following commitment period:

• If the lifetime of the biobased construction materials is less 50 years, this results in avoidance credits
• If the lifetime of the biobased construction materials is between 50 and 100 years, the project qualifies for short-term removal credits and will emit removal credits
• If the lifetime is expected to be 100 years or more, then the project qualifies for long-term removal and will emit removal credits

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5. Unicity

Definition: Carbon credits are only counted once and are not double-issued or sold.‍

Information needed:

• ‍‍Signed contract committing not to use another certification body or label to issue carbon credits for the given project.
• The project developer signed the Riverse Project Developer Contract for exclusivity on carbon credit issuance for the project.

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6. Co-benefits

Definition: Projects must provide additional positive impact towards environmental and social sustainability

‍Information needed: At least 2 UN Sustainable Development Goals have to be justified with LCA results or KIIs.

1. ‍Goal 7: “Clean and affordable energy

• 7.3. improve energy efficiency
• ‍KII: Primary energy consumption of the building for heating, cooling, production of hot water in kWhep/m2.year

2. ‍Goal 8: “Decent work and economic growth”

• 8.4 resource efficiency in consumption and production
• ‍KII: material footprint

3. ‍Goal 9: “Industry, innovation and infrastructure”

• 9.1: Develop sustainable, resilient and inclusive infrastructures
• 9.3 integrate small-scale industrial enterprises into value chains and markets
• ‍KII: time saved for the construction of the building in comparison to a concrete building

4. ‍Goal 11: “Sustainable cities and communities”

• 11.1 support economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas
• 11.3 Inclusive and sustainable urbanisation
• 11.6 Reduce the environmental impact of cities
• ‍KII: tons of waste avoided per year

5. Goal 12: “Responsable consumption and production”

• 12.2 Sustainable management and use of natural resources
• 12.5 reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse
• ‍KII: amount of concrete saved per m2 of living space

6. ‍Goal 15 “life on land”

• 15.2. End deforestation and restore degraded forests
• ‍KII: list of providers of biobased materials with PEFC/other certification ratios of sustainable forestry used per materials. Does the project promotes sustainable forestry? or promote reforestation projects?

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7. Substitution

Definition: The products/services generated as project outputs must appropriately, realistically, and efficiently be substituted to those of the baseline scenario, rather than create new demand.

Information needed:

The project has:

• Results of product testing (humidity, noise…) to show efficiency compared to other alternatives
• FDES verification and present on the Inies base project inputs? Certifications like CEN/TS 16721, EN 16640?

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8. Environmental and social do not harm

Definition: Projects must not contribute to environmental or social damage.‍

Information needed:

• Does the project comply with regulations like REACH regulation, The French Decree n° 2011-321 or others? - provide SDS IF Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) are used?
• Are there any co-products that need special waste management?

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9. Leakage

Definition: The project’s avoided GHG emissions must not be indirectly transferred elsewhere.‍

Information needed:

Need to verify information about the origin of the products and where they are distributedJustification with certification schemes, such as FSC or PEFC sustainable wood production

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10. Rebound effect

Definition: Efficiency-improvement projects must not lead to increases in overall consumption.

Information needed:

• Is this proposal less material-intensive use than others within the biobased construction sector?
• Does the project ensures that the feedstock is certified with Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) Sustainable Forest Management Standard or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Forest Management Certification?

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11. Technology readiness level

Definition: Technology Readiness Level must be 6 or higher.

Information needed:

‍Provide proof of technological progress and/or production capacities either in an operational environment or lab.

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12. Targets alignement

Definition: Project’s emission reductions must be aligned with the emission reduction targets for their sector.

Information needed: Comparative LCA proving that the project reduces emissions from the baseline scenario by at least 45%

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13. Minimum impact

Definition: Projects must qualify for a minimum amount of carbon credits.

Information needed: 1000 tCO2e over 5 years, meaning approximately 1000 computers per year.

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14. Independently validated

Definition: A Riverse-accredited third party must validate the project’s proposal.

Information needed: Riverse will submit the detailed project description for an audit by a third-party Verification and validation Body.

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