Why this Biogenic Carbon Project?

There are gaps in internationally recommended approaches to account for the temporary storage of biogenic carbon and can lead to inconsistent modelling/ inaccurate results in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies. This project aims to use an expert-led multi-stakeholder process to develop a recommendation that brings harmonisation, stability, verifiability and enhanced credibility of LCA results for food and other bio-based products.​ The goal is that the recommendation would have a global reach and impact by making available consistent and stable information about the climate impacts of bio-based products to decision-makers.

What is Biogenic Carbon?

Biogenic carbon refers to carbon that is sequestered from the atmosphere during biomass growth. This carbon is found in a variety of natural materials, such as trees, plants, and other forms of biomass, and accumulates in pools such as soil organic carbon. Considering it is essential for regulating atmospheric carbon dioxide levels to mitigate the impacts of climate change, biogenic carbon is a significant component of the global carbon cycle.

Update on timeline of key milestones

While still in the project initiation phase, the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) is currently actively engaged in the formulation of the initial draft of the scoping element to the project. This draft will serve as the Terms of Reference (ToR) guiding the Implementing Partner. Furthermore, this endeavour will help evaluate the composition of the various working groups to be involved in the project. 

  • July – First TAC meeting  
  • October – Selection of Implementing partner. 
  • November – Update on composition and selection of working groups  

Call for Experts

Working Groups (WG) 

The goal is to secure participation of individuals with various levels of expertise and perspectives on the topic of Biogenic Carbon and Life Cycle Assessment. The number of experts participating in each of the WGs is not limited in principle, although we expect a limited number of individuals ready to commit sufficient time in-kind. Criteria for identifying candidates for participation include:

  • Expertise in physical and non-physical sciences related to Biogenic Carbon analysis and modelling.
  • Expertise in applying learnings from Biogenic Carbon analysis in a business or policy setting.
  • Geographic, sectoral and gender balance.
  • Willingness to contribute sufficient time in-kind to the development of the White Paper (expectation of about 2-4 days per month for the 8–10-month period of development of the white paper).
  • Participants in the WGs may join the process at different points in time.

How to get involved

Are you interested in contributing to this project with your expertise? Please email us with details of your relevant experience.

Project Funding Partners

We express our gratitude to the following funding partners.  

  • American Wood Council 
  • Canadian Wood Council 
  • Forest Products Association of Canada  
  • Mission Innovation through the Government of Netherlands
  • Stora Enso OYJ
  • US Endowment for Communities and Forestry through Weyerhaeuser Company and Potlatch Deltic  

While progress has been made in securing funding for the project, opportunities for additional funding remain available, as the project’s total funding capacity has not yet been fully realized.

 

Technical Advisory Committee

A distinguished Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) is making valuable contributions through the provision of their time, expertise, and diligent efforts. This committee is composed of individuals representing a diverse array of backgrounds, including consultants, government officials, industry leaders, and experts in the scientific domain. Furthermore, the committee’s membership has a global and regionally diverse representation, demonstrating its broad reach and significance. 

  • Ana Morao – Corbion 
  • Angel Avadi – CIRAD 
  • An Maria De Schryver – Pre Sustainability 
  • Annette Cowie – NSW Department of Primary Industries 
  • Annie Levasseur – Quebec University 
  • Caroline Gaudreault – Anthesis group 
  • Cecile Bessou – Cirad & JCU Cairns 
  • Edie Sonne Hall – Three trees consulting 
  • Hawah Nambasa – Makerere University Department of Environmental Management 
  • Joaquim Seabra – University of Campinas (Unicamp), School of Mechanical Engineering 
  • Kevin Harding – University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) – School of Chemical & Metallurgical Engineering 
  • Kit Hart – PotlatchDeltic 
  • Miguel Brandão – KTH 
  • Mirjam Roeder – Aston University; Energy & Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI) 
  • Susanna Andreasi Bassi – European Commission Joint Research CentreÂ