Introduction
Adjustments made in the introduction to the Principles and criteria:
§ 2.7-5a
After certification, the company remains responsible to notify RPP of any changes related to compliance with the criteria. Here it is important not to wait till the next periodical inspection.
§ 2.9
The definitions for major and minor non-compliance are better described.
An explanation about the time frame given to solve minor non-conformities when an RPP-certificate is issued.
§ 2.14
An extra paragraph about Benchmarking national legislation and regulations for licensing against criteria of the RPP-certification-scheme.
Although benchmarking seems possible on several points, it is still required to demonstrate how the criteria of the RPP scheme have been met and documents will al-ways have to be presented for RPP-inspection. For the requirements that are covered by the procedure for licensing, the applicant has to refer to the corresponding sections included in the permit and explain the procedure followed for compliance.
For downloading the complete certification scheme click the following link:
Principles & criteria
Adjustments made to the Principals and Criteria:
1.2.1
Compliance with criterion 1.1.1 includes compliance with this criterion.
So although the approach is different, proof of compliance is equal.
1.2.4
The company is obliged to inform RPP immediately if any such claims are presented in the future. Not complying with this obligation will automatically evoke the with-drawal of the certifications granted.
A company is obliged to notify RPP if there is a claim regarding corruption or human rights violation, also after certification.
3.2 and 5.2 have criteria on Stakeholder Consultation. RPP is more strict about it and requires full stakeholder consultation for selection of peatland for extraction as well as for choosing the best the after-use destination for the production area. The indicators provide a good description of what the consultation process must meet.
5.1.2 is about the securing if the after use execution and more direction is given here: A guideline for restoration as the after-use destination is €1000/ha.. However, this amount can vary enormously from one situation to another, and it is therefore mandatory to indicate what the budget was based on.
5.3 has criteria on the after use destination. The indicators have been further expanded and the most important to keep in mind is that "the after-use plan shall show the best possible option in perspective of maximising environ-mental benefits, including climate change miti-gation".
Annexes
Adjustments made to the Annexes:
Annex B:
There is a better description of the options when choosing the after-use destination, there are now 3 options depending the situation:
- ecological restoration
- the best possible option in perspective of maximising environmental benefits, including mitigation of climate change.
- Other plans, focussed on added value for environment and/or society
Please read Annex B for ful desription and understanding!
Annex C:
Clarifications are made on the Redlists for species for the assessment of vegetation and fauna.
The EU-Redlist is the standard (reference) to be followed for RPP certification. When up to date, the national list should be followed and deviations from the EU-list shall be explained. The assessment only needs to be on the threatened level (critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable species).
A document “Information Redlists and Habitat Directives (2020)” is available in the RPP toolbox on the RPP portal
Note also: Gathered data used for the EIA should not be older than 5 years at point of assessment. In case of older data, the validity needs to be re-assessed.