After three years of intensive research, collaboration, and stakeholder engagement, the STAR4BBS project officially concludes. The initiative, funded under the EU’s Horizon programme, has successfully delivered new tools, knowledge, and recommendations to enhance certification, labelling, and traceability in the bio-based economy.
About STAR4BBS
STAR4BBS (“Sustainable bio-based systems through effective certification & labelling”) was launched to maximize the potential of Sustainability Certification Schemes (SCS) and business-to-business labels to drive the sustainable transition of the EU bio-based economy. The project focused on:
•Assessing the existing international and EU SCS, labels and traceability systems applicable to biological feedstock, bio-based materials and products;
•Developing robust indicators and a monitoring framework to evaluate their effectiveness and reliability; and
•Recommending improvements to ensure transparency, credibility and alignment with sustainability goals.
The consortium included leading universities, research centres, standardisation bodies, NGOs, and industry stakeholders across Europe.
Key Achievements
1.New Monitoring & Evaluation System Developed STAR4BBS has designed and tested a monitoring system with indicators that allow users, policy-makers, auditors and businesses to assess how well certification schemes and labels are doing — in terms of environmental, social, and economic sustainability, traceability, and risk of greenwashing.
2.Comprehensive Assessment of Existing Schemes The project has published analyses and public results comparing certified vs non-certified biomass flows, evaluating market access effects, robustness of labelling and traceability practices. These findings help identify best practices as well as critical gaps.
3.Broader Stakeholder Training & Awareness Through webinars, conferences, and workshops, STAR4BBS trained and informed diverse audiences — from industry leaders to civil society — on navigating new EU legislation, addressing greenwashing, and implementing sustainability standards more effectively.
4.Collaboration and Policy Contribution The project liaised with sister EU initiatives, engaging in cross-project knowledge transfer and contributing to ongoing policy conversations around sustainable labels, voluntary standards, and bio-based systems. This includes feeding into EU legislative frameworks and standardisation discussion.
Impacts & Legacy
•Enhanced Trust & Transparency in the bio-based supply chain: STAR4BBS’s monitoring tools and recommendations are expected to help reduce risk of greenwashing, improve credibility of labels, and support companies and certifiers in implementing robust traceability and sustainability.
•Policy & Regulatory Alignment: Findings will inform EU institutions and national governments in the formation or refinement of regulation concerning voluntary sustainability standards, labelling, and bio-based product frameworks.
•Capacity Building: Stakeholders across the public and private sector are now better equipped with training, resources, and networks to enact and support sustainable bio-based practices.
•Resources for the Future: All public results, assessments, tools, indicators and reports are made available to facilitate further research, adoption by industry, and follow-on initiatives.
Next Steps
While STAR4BBS formally ends, its work lays the foundation for:
•Adoption of its monitoring system by certifiers, standard bodies, and industries.
•Integration of its findings into future revisions of EU and national sustainability policies and regulatory standards.
•Further research to test and expand the framework in different sectors, geographies and supply chains.
•Continued collaboration across projects and networks to scale impact.
Contact
info@star4bbs.eu
star4bbs.eu