Bioenergy Criteria Climate Bonds Standard and Certification Scheme Final Criteria Document

The Bioenergy Criteria document, published by the Climate Bonds Initiative, establishes a certification scheme for bioenergy-related debt instruments, assets, and entities. It defines eligibility based on three core pillars: greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation thresholds, sustainable biomass feedstock requirements, and climate adaptation and resilience standards. The criteria aim to align bioenergy investments with the Paris Agreement by implementing a declining trajectory of allowable emissions intensity, targeting 'close to zero' by 2050.

• The criteria establish a temporal trajectory for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission savings, with thresholds for various bioenergy products (road, shipping, aviation, heat/cooling, electricity, and cogeneration) declining over time to reach 'close to 0' by 2050.
• A 'close to zero' status for 2050 is defined as a reduction in GHG emissions of at least 95% compared to the applicable fossil fuel comparator, with any remaining emissions (≤ 5%) being 'technically unavoidable'.
• To demonstrate mitigation compliance, issuers must conduct a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) covering feedstock production, processing, fuel production, storage, blending, transport, and use, using one of five endorsed calculation tools: BIOGRACE II, RSB GHG Calculator, UK Solid and Gaseous Biomass Carbon Calculator, GREET, or RenovaCalc.
• Biomass feedstock is classified into four categories: Agricultural Biomass (further split into food/feed crops and non-food agricultural biomass), Forestry biomass (only waste woody biomass is eligible), Processing waste and residues biomass, and Aquatic biomass.
• Feedstock from food and feed crops must meet specific iLUC (indirect Land Use Change) risk management and food security criteria, which can be demonstrated via explicit low-iLUC risk certification, macro-penalty integration, or recognized Productive Intensification Systems.
• The criteria introduce a specific methodology for the biogas and biomethane value chain to address the underestimation of methane emissions, providing updated default emission factors and 'best practice' factors conditional on implementing specific technical measures.
• Compliance with methane best practices in the biogas/biomethane value chain requires the implementation of a certified voluntary Leakage, Detection and Repair (LDAR) program with minimum requirements for ownership, boundaries, third-party revision, and reporting.
• All facilities must satisfy an Adaptation and Resilience (A&R) checklist to ensure they are resilient to physical climate hazards, including temperature rise, extreme cold, extreme rainfall, sea level rise, drier seasons, decreased river flow, and wildfires.
• Entity and Sustainability-Linked Debt (SLD) Certification is available at two levels: 'Level 1-Aligned', where emissions intensity meets thresholds at the time of certification, and 'Level 2-Transition', where alignment is achieved by 30 December 2030.

APA

Climate Bonds Initiative (2019). Bioenergy Criteria Climate Bonds Standard and Certification Scheme Final Criteria Document. https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/Bioenergy-Criteria.pdf

Chicago

Climate Bonds Initiative. Bioenergy Criteria Climate Bonds Standard and Certification Scheme Final Criteria Document. 2019. https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/Bioenergy-Criteria.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Bonds Initiative |title=Bioenergy Criteria Climate Bonds Standard and Certification Scheme Final Criteria Document |date=1 July 2019 |url=https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/Bioenergy-Criteria.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatebondsinitiative2019bioenergy, author = {{Climate Bonds Initiative}}, title = {{Bioenergy Criteria Climate Bonds Standard and Certification Scheme Final Criteria Document}}, institution = {Climate Bonds Initiative}, year = {2019}, month = jul, url = {https://www.climatebonds.net/files/documents/publications/Bioenergy-Criteria.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }