Monthly News from the Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI), July 2026

In July, key activities included the engagement in the Critical Chemicals Alliance. Within the WG Policy, the topic of cascading use was discussed and WG Sustainability continues to advocate for harmonised and aligned biogenic carbon accounting rules. Moreover, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s Land Sector and Removal Standard (LSRS) is a current focus topic, particularly regarding potential concerns in regards to land carbon leakage and carbon opportunity costs. A new project called “China Transformation and Impact / Lessons for the EU” has been officially approved, meaning that all five projects planned for this year are now in progress.

Critical Chemicals Alliance – first mandate comes to an end

The four working groups have finished their work and results are awaiting final approval from the Steering Committee.

DG GROW has indicated that it may extend the CCA and revise its mandate. This will be discussed during the General Assembly in October. RCI will stay invested in the alliance and continue to support the transition towards renewable carbon and innovative solutions for a defossilised, sustainable EU chemical industry.

Discussions on Cascading Use and a possible RCI Position

RCI members are actively discussing the principle of cascading use and the development of an RCI position. The topic continues to come up in political discussions on market creation and incentives. While it is positive that the European Commission is moving towards scaling the bioeconomy, concerns remain regarding biomass availability. Cascading use is often seen as a key approach to addressing feedstock conflicts. RCI reiterated its support for the concept, emphasising that limited feedstock should be used as efficiently as possible and that cascading use is not limited to the use of by-products.

Biogenic Carbon Accounting

RCI continues to advocate for harmonised and aligned biogenic carbon accounting rules across different methodologies. Key ask is to advocate for a consistent -1/+1 approach for biogenic carbon across emissions accounting frameworks, with a current focus on ISO and GHG Protocol.

Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s Land Sector and Removal Standard (LSRS)

The Greenhouse Gas Protocol’s Land Sector and Removal Standard (LSRS) is a current focus topic, particularly regarding potential concerns in regards to land carbon leakage and carbon opportunity costs. Regarding land carbon leakage, participants expressed concerns about its similarity to indirect land use change and questioned its appropriateness in carbon accounting. Some members opposed the concept, stating it could create unnecessary penalties for crop-based feedstocks. On carbon opportunity cost, a concept that analyses climate change implications when switching from animal feed to plant-based diets, concerns concerns about its implementation were expressed. RCI will continue to monitor these topics.

New RCI Projects

A new project called “China Transformation and Impact / Lessons for the EU” was approved which will beassessing China’s energy and chemical transformation and its strategic implications for European competitiveness, value chains, and market positioning.

All projects planned for 2026 are now underway: “Mass Balance and Attribution Approaches for Chemicals from Recycling”; “Biomass: Evaluation, Impacts and Alignment”, “China Transformation and Impact / Lessons for the EU”; “SBTi White Paper” and the “White Paper on methodological approaches and climate and circularity benefits of recycling from a life cycle perspective”.

Member News – BioBTX announces the start of construction of its first-of-a-kind circular aromatics plant.

BioBTX has taken a positive Final Investment Decision (FID) for the construction of its first commercial-scale plant based on its in-house developed ICCP technology.

The PETRA plant in Delfzijl will be the world’s first dedicated greenfield facility converting plastic waste directly into renewable aromatics. It will produce approximately 10,000 tonnes of renewable aromatic oil per year, along with 8,000 tonnes of sustainable by-products.

The FID marks the transition of the PETRA Project from the development phase towards commercial execution. Congratulations to BioBTX on this important milestone!

The full press release can be found here.