As European countries strengthen their renewable energy and decarbonisation policies, biofuel producers and supply chain actors must comply with increasingly strict sustainability and traceability requirements. Access to national and EU renewable fuel markets is now dependent on verified compliance with recognised sustainability certification systems.

This is where the National Italian System for Sustainability of the Biofuel Supply Chain (INS) plays a critical role.

INS is Italy’s official national sustainability certification system, developed and regulated by the Italian government to ensure that biofuels and bioliquids placed on the Italian and EU markets comply with the sustainability and greenhouse gas (GHG) requirements of the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED II and RED III).

INS (Sistema Nazionale di Certificazione della Sostenibilità) is a mandatory national certification scheme for biofuels and bioliquids in Italy. It is officially recognised by the European Commission as a voluntary scheme under the EU RED framework.

INS applies to the entire biofuel supply chain, including:

• Agricultural feedstock producers

• Collecting points

• Biofuel and bioliquid producers

• Traders and storage facilities

• Fuel suppliers

The system ensures that all certified materials are:

• Sustainably sourced

• Fully traceable

• Compliant with land use and environmental criteria

• Supported by verified GHG emission savings

INS is built around the sustainability and climate criteria defined under the EU Renewable Energy Directive and Italian national legislation.

Sustainability Criteria

INS requires that biofuels and feedstocks:

• Do not originate from land with high biodiversity value

• Do not come from high carbon stock areas

• Respect environmental protection requirements

• Comply with social and labor standards

Traceability and Mass Balance

INS requires:

• Full traceability of materials throughout the supply chain

• A mass balance system to track certified volumes

• Transparent transaction documentation

• Prevention of double counting and fraud

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions

INS includes:

• Calculation of lifecycle GHG emissions

• Demonstration of minimum GHG savings

• Verification of carbon performance

• Alignment with EU RED default or actual values

Legal and Regulatory Compliance

INS ensures compliance with:

• EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED II / RED III)

• Italian national biofuel regulations

• Fuel sustainability reporting obligations

These elements ensure that biofuels certified under INS genuinely contribute to climate mitigation and sustainable energy transition.

At Green Sustainability Resources Sdn. Bhd. (GSR), our INS consultancy approach focuses on building technically compliant, audit-ready, and regulator-aligned sustainability systems for biofuel supply chains.

1. Regulatory-Based Approach

We develop INS systems based on:

• Italian regulatory requirements

• Actual supply chain roles (PoO, trader, processor, etc.)

• Real operational flows

This ensures full alignment with both EU RED and Italian national rules.

2. Technical Expertise in Biofuel Certification

Our consultants bring hands-on experience in:

• INS system documents and procedures

• ISCC and EU RED sustainability frameworks

• Mass balance and traceability systems

• GHG calculation methodologies

This allows us to translate complex regulatory requirements into practical operational systems.

3. Focus on Audit-Ready Systems

We design INS systems that are:

• Fully traceable and well-documented

• Supported by structured procedures and records

• Aligned with certification body audit expectations

• Prepared for Italian regulatory inspections

Our objective is to ensure clients are technically compliant and operationally confident.

4. End-to-End Support

Our INS consultancy services include:

• Initial regulatory gap analysis

• Supply chain mapping and scope definition

• Development of INS documentation

• Mass balance system setup

• GHG calculation and reporting support

• Internal audit preparation

• Support during certification audits

Clients receive full technical guidance throughout the certification journey.