Monthly news from the Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI), August 2026

This month, RCI published new report on biodiversity in LCA, reviewing and comparing nine prominent terrestrial LCA methods. The floor is open for member proposals ahead of the General Assembly’s vote on RCI’s 2027 agenda. Good progress on the Mass Balance project and a brief updtae on RCI’s SBTi white paper currently underway. On the policy side, expect a public letter on the the Critical Chemicals Alliance ahead of its expected mandate revision, with the Alliance’s second General Assembly taking place in October. Finally, the EU ETS review and Electrification Action Plan, including over €100 billion in targeted industrial decarbonisation funding through the Industrial Decarbonisation Bank.

Publication of New Report on Biodiversity in LCA

In collaboration with nova-Institut, RCI has published a new report titled Biodiversity in Sustainability Assessments — in Particular Life-Cycle Assessments (LCAs). The report reviews and compares nine leading terrestrial LCA methods, such as ReCiPe2016, IMPACT World+, UNEP-GLAM and BioMAPS.

Currently, no single method captures all three dimensions of biodiversity (species, genetic, and ecosystem diversity) alongside all five drivers of biodiversity loss. While data gaps and limitations in impact-pathway modelling remain, emerging tools such as UNEP-GLAM and BioMAPS show potential for high-level risk screening. As the selection of methods significantly affects the identification of environmental hotspots, the report recommends combining LCA methods with sensitivity analyses and site-specific tools rather than relying on them as standalone metrics for communicating with consumers.

The full report is available here.

General Assembly 2026: Submit your Ideas and Proposals for 2027

The RCI General Assembly 2026 will take place on 3–4 November in Cologne, Germany. On day one, members will vote on activities and strategic initiatives for 2027 that will significantly shape the future of RCI. All member organisations are invited to submit proposals for activities, events or research projects that accelerate the decarbonisation of the chemical industry.

Not a member of RCI but have a specific issue you would like to see addressed? We invite you to submit ideas via the online submission form – Proposals should be submitted by Friday, 18 September 2026. Suggestions can range from focused, short-term actions to larger collaborative projects.

Mass Balance Project – Good Progress

Work on the RCI Mass Balance Approach (MBA) project has progressed significantly over the summer. Drafts of the first core task modules have been completed and are now under review by the project’s advisory board. These modules cover the history of mass balance in the chemical industry, an evaluation of the ISO 22095-2 norm and Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1425, mass balance in sustainability frameworks, and recent trends across chemicals, polymers, biomass and recycling. A further module on mass balance practices in other industrial sectors is being prepared.

Critical Chemicals Alliance: Public Letter and Second General Assembly

Following the completion of work across all four CCA working groups, RCI is preparing to publish a joint public letter with a coalition of like-minded stakeholders. The letter will provide targeted input to DG GROW ahead of the expected revision of the CCA mandate. Publication is expected in early September.

The next Critical Chemicals Alliance General Assembly will take place on 8 October 2026 in Creutzwald, France. RCI will be in attendance to represent the interests of our members and to discuss the future mandate and priorities of the CCA.

Policy Alert: EU ETS Revision and Electrification Action Plan

The European Commission has presented its Electrification Action Plan, which includes a significant revision of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), with the aim of supporting industrial competitiveness and accelerating decarbonisation.

A key part of the review is the proposal to extend the EU ETS to include waste incineration. Pricing carbon emissions from waste incineration alters the economics of waste management, creating an incentive to capture biogenic and fossil CO₂ from specific sources. This creates potential benefits for the renewable carbon sector in the form of carbon capture and utilisation (CCU), as captured carbon from waste streams could be used in the production of sustainable chemicals, polymers, and other short-lived applications, rather than being released into the atmosphere.

The reform package also includes the integration of permanent carbon removal, over €100 billion in targeted industrial decarbonisation funding through the Industrial Decarbonisation Bank, and measures to bridge the price gap between electricity and fossil fuels.

SBTi White Paper

RCI is currently working on a white paper addressing the treatment of renewable carbon and defossilisation under the new SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard (CNZS) v2.0. Further details will follow once the paper is finalised.

Other News

EU Survey on Carbon Accounting Simplification

The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) has launched a survey to gather industry feedback on streamlining carbon accounting methodologies. As these standards directly affect renewable carbon pathways and supply chain reporting, we encourage members to participate. The survey can be completed here.

International Bioeconomy Forum — Open Session in Dublin

The IBF Working Group on Indicators, Metrics and Standards will hold a half-day open session at the ‘Europe House’ in Dublin, alongside its workshop proposal for the Global Bioeconomy Summit 2026 (19–22 October, Dublin), on the role of bioeconomy metrics and standards in scaling up sustainable bioeconomy products. Anyone interested in participating can reach out directly to christopher.vomberg@renewable-carbon-initiative.com.

ABATE Survey — Residual Biomass for Low-Carbon Fuels

The Horizon Europe ABATE project is gathering stakeholder views on the future development of low-carbon fuels for aviation and maritime transport, based on residual biomass. The survey takes around 15 minutes, is anonymous, and closes on 30 September 2026. Take part here. More information about ABATE is available here.