The Competitive Edge: Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB)

Q: What was the reason for founding your organization – what was the open niche you saw that could be addressed with a new product or service? What was the problem, or gap, or opportunity?

The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) was founded in 2007 by a small group of leading organisations from civil society, industry and academia with a mission of promoting the global sustainable production, conversion and use of biofuels. Working with our multi-stakeholder community, we developed a sustainability standard that is widely considered to be best-in-class globally as it asks producers to meet the very highest requirements of social and environmental sustainability.

Since 2007, RSB has evolved to cover all aspects of the sustainable bioeconomy from fuels to plastics, textiles to packaging under our leading multi-feedstock and multi-product sustainability standard which is globally recognised and regionally applicable. What was once a vision to ensure biofuel sustainability has grown into a global sustainability certification for all biomaterials that is being used for certification, sustainability solutions and policy development the world over.

Q: Tell us about your organization. What do you do?

The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) is a global, multi-stakeholder independent organisation that drives the development of a new world bioeconomy through sustainability solutions, certification, and collaborative partnerships.

It provides tools and solutions that mitigate business risk and contribute to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and has the world’s most trusted, peer-reviewed, global certification standard for sustainable biomaterials, biofuels and biomass production.

Through certification, advisory services, projects and policy support, the RSB is actively working with organisations around the world to advance the sustainable bioeconomy in a truly sustainable way ensuring a real reduction in greenhouse gas emissions while supporting community development and biodiversity, as well as environmental and social sustainability for generations to come.

Q: What stage of development are you?  Choose one:

Commercial stage – have mature products or services on the market.

Q: What do your technologies, products or services do and accomplish – how does it (they) work, who is it (they) aimed for?

All of RSB’s work – membership, advisory services, partnerships, projects, advocacy and certification – is directly contributing to a just transition to a net positive world. Everything RSB does is focused on supporting the biomaterials and biofuels industries to increase circularity;

decouple economic growth from fossil demand; ensure the protection of environment and society; and achieve a 1.5 degree warming limit.

Q: Competitively, what gives your technology, product or service set an edge in cost or performance, sustainability, or any other aspect, that makes it stand out from the crowd, In short, what makes it transformative?

RSB’s approach to sustainability offers unparalleled credibility and practicality. Endorsed by leading NGOs and developed by a multi-stakeholder community that includes producers, end-users, civil society and government, RSB’s approach is the most trusted globally. Constantly on the cutting edge of innovation and policy development, RSB has evolved to meet the development of new advanced technologies as well as the latest policy instruments around the world.

Q: What are the 3 top milestones you have accomplished in the past 3 years?

1. World first Advanced Product Certification with INEOS
2. World first low ILUC Certification
3. Innovative partnership with Boeing in Brazil, Ethiopia and South Africa

Q: What are the 3 top milestones you will accomplish in the next 3 years?

1. Customers around the world recognise the RSB label on many different types of consumer products available to purchase.
2. Passengers are assured that all alternative aviation fuel globally is RSB certified with meaningful GHG reductions as well as environmental and social sustainability guaranteed.
3. RSB is recognised as supporting the best practices in all types of feedstock production from agriculture to recycled carbon.
4. The RSB Standard is embedded into relevant global and national policies.

Q. Where can I learn more about RSB?

Click here to visit RSB’s website.