Discover the new EBC Standard 10.5

Good day ,

We are excited to announce the release of the new version of the European Biochar Certificate (EBC) Standard: Version 10.5, coming into force on October 1st, 2025.

This update reflects our ongoing commitment to:

• Continuous improvement of certification practices
• Alignment with international regulations
• Simplifying and streamlining the user experience in the certification process

Here’s what’s new – and why it matters:

Simplified Analysis – Same High Quality

We’ve streamlined the analytical requirements to make certification more efficient:

TGA (Thermogravimetric Analysis) is now optional

It is no longer a mandatory requirement. Today, the pyrolysis process can be sufficiently understood using other parameters, and the added value of TGA has not justified its additional costs. However, TGA remains available as an optional additional parameter.

PCB and PCDD/F

PCB and PCDD/F now only need analysis if the 8 EFSA PAH are above 1 mg/kg. Exemption from this rule is the EBC-FeedPlus certification class; please see chapter 10 for further information. Additional exemptions are now only required in specific cases, depending on the type of feedstock. This parameter remains optional and can be selected voluntarily.

REACH Biochar analysis package

The introduction of a REACH Biochar analysis package now makes it easier than ever to be compliant with the EU Directive 1907/2006 for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). You can now easily add the package to your general batch analysis and get all necessary parameters analyzed to when registering your Biochar.

These changes reduce complexity and costs without compromising quality. Our rigorous core parameters continue to uphold the highest standards for certified biochar.

Certification Class Updates

We’ve refined our certification structure to make it more intuitive and aligned with market needs:

• The EBC-Feed class is being removed. It will be phased out gradually until the end of 2026. From 2027 onwards EBC-Feed won’t be certified anymore.
• The classes EBC-ConsumerMaterials and EBC-BasicMaterials have been renamed to EBC-Materials and EBC-Basic, making their purpose clearer at a glance.
• The EBC-FeedPlus class now has stricter limits for lead (5 mg/kg) and cadmium (0.5 mg/kg) in accordance with EU Directive 2002/32/EC. Upcoming Biochar certifications must meet these threshold values to be able to get the EBC-FeedPlus certification class.

Please be aware that currently labeled Biochar doesn’t need to be relabeled.

We have displayed the old with the new names of the certification classes in the QR-code of the Batch analysis.

This is also a great moment to highlight our collaboration with QS Feed Monitoring. QS-certified feed manufacturers or small producers who produce biochar as a QS product and are EBC-FeedPlus certified can reuse their EBC monitoring analyses for QS Feed Monitoring. QS companies do not need to create a separate QS control plan. However, it is important to commission a laboratory that is recognized for both EBC and QS, and to enter the sample accompanying data into the QS database.

Alignment with the Global Biochar C-Sink Standard and Biochar-Tool

EBC 10.5 strengthens its integration with the Global Biochar C-Sink Standard and our digital infrastructure:

• Biochar production under EBC must now reach a minimum energy efficiency of 60%. The calculation is based on the biomass input and product output flow of the production unit.
• Fortunately, the calculation can be done automatically based on your inputs to the Biochar Tool.

These updates support climate-positive production and traceability across the value chain.

Country Annexes

We’ve updated the country-specific annexes for:

Austria

The Biochar certified under EBC-Urban now has to meet a threshold for 16 EPA PAH of
6 mg/kg. This brings alignment with the Austrian fertilizer legislation 2024. Upcoming Biochar certifications must meet this threshold value to be able to get the EBC-Urban certification class in Austria.

Switzerland

The FOAG demands four biochar analyses per year. If your Biochar is EBC-certified, fortunately these analysis requirements can be replaced with the yearly EBC batch analysis.

For detailed information, please refer to the annexes in the standard.

Updates on sustainable biomass feedstock

We now accept SURE (Sustainable Resources Verification Scheme)-certified biomass for the sustainable production of Biochar. With SURE you can ensure compliance with RED II sustainability requirements.

Join Our Webinar – Discover EBC 10.5

We invite you to our live webinar on the Updates on

Date: September 30th, 2025
Time: 2:00 PM CET
Language: Englisch

We’ll walk you through all the updates, explain the rationale behind the changes, and answer your questions.

We look forward to continuing our journey with you toward a more sustainable and transparent biochar industry.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us via

Kind regards,

Carbon Standards International AG
Demian Wolfering
Specialist in biochar/climate

E-mail