Frequently asked questions
1. What is TYC and why was it set up?
Today, an increasing number of end-customers and processing companies are requesting sustainability information on products and their raw materials. Especially for bio-based materials, like biochemicals, biopharmaceuticals or biofuels, there is a high interest on information of the origin of raw material and further sustainability characteristics of the value chain like greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, water- or energy consumption. In the course of sustainability regulation on biofuels and especially double-counting biofuels within the European Union, product declaration for biofuels and the biomass is strictly regulated and – due to the different implementation levels of biofuels – differentiates heavily in the EU member states.
In order to generate sustainability claims on the raw materials, intermediates and end products, relevant information must be transferred from the point of sourcing through the entire value chain to the end-customer. Increasing complexity of the biomass` value chains poses major challenges in preserving the relevant information. Recipients often have problems in getting all information needed. Furthermore, there is increasing fraud relating to sustainability claims of products and their raw materials.
Trace Your Claim (TYC) is a database for documenting and transferring relevant sustainability information from the point of origin of a raw material along the entire value chain until the end product. Therefor all elements of a supply chain (including first gathering points, collectors, conversion units and traders) can hold an account at the TYC database. Within this account a company can receive material from other TYC participants, convert it and deliver it to a downstream company. Within the database, the relevant sustainability information stays attached to the raw materials and their products. It is conserved in a closed system from the point of biomass or waste/residue origin along the entire value chain and cannot be changed or get lost. A loss of any information or fraud regarding wrong product declaration is prevented. Furthermore, TYC includes all regulatory requirements on product declarations within the EU member states (in terms of e.g. accepted certification schemes or countries of origin), which are attached to certain products or sustainability characteristics and thus, can be easily included in the decision-making process of a market participant.
2. How does TYC work?
Within a TYC account, a company can receive, convert, store and forward different raw materials and products. The first gathering point (or collector in terms of waste biomass) is the first element in the value chain, which has to be certified. It is the only element where raw material can be entered in the database. Here, some information, like type of biomass or origin are defined for the ingoing raw materials and will be attached to it when it is supplied to a buyer. Downstream, there is no possibility to change this kind of information. Only sustainability information for the whole supply chain, like GHG emissions can be changed by downstream supply chain elements by adding own process emissions. A conversion unit or a trader, which buys raw material from the first gathering point, can only receive material, which is already available in the database. Unless they are not certified as first gathering points, they cannot upload raw material. This applies to all downstream elements to the end product (e.g. the biofuel or bio-plastic). A conversion unit has the possibility to convert biomass by including individual conversion factors for the process. At the end of the supply chain (e.g. the quota obliged party or the company bringing the product on the market), all information of the raw material and the supply chain are preserved and can be assigned to a specific value chain. The product stays traceable until the point of origin.
3. Who can participate?
The TYC database is open for all biomass producers, processors and traders. A prerequisite is that the users are successfully certified under a voluntary certification scheme, which is recognized by the European Commission or the authorities of a EU member state.
4. Which certification schemes are accepted under TYC?
Currently, TYC accepts all certification schemes, which are recognized by the European Commission.
Furthermore, a user can also be certified against one of the voluntary certification schemes recognized by the authorities of the EU member state, e.g. ISCC DE or REDcert DE within Germany.
5. What are the advantages of TYC?
The benefit for every element in the supply chain is the automatic and harmonized transfer of sustainability characteristics. Thus, product declarations and claims are highly secure and traceable to the point of origin. Delivery notes or proofs of sustainability, which are needed to provide evidence on double-counting materials or sustainability to national authorities are automatically generated and well documented
within the system. The uploading and forwarding of further documents, like waste transfer notes or self-declarations is possible within TYC. Thus, preparation for audits becomes easier, online audits are possible and audit costs can be reduced.
At the moment different regulations and requirements for biofuels and especially double-counting materials exist in the EU member states. TYC virtually harmonizes all those requirements and thus, reduces costs of daily operations for TYC participants. In future, TYC is seeking direct links to member states databases in order to further reduce effort and increase fraud existence.
6. How can I participate in TYC?
If you are planning to open a TYC account, please send an email or fill in the access form.
You will receive an access code, which you need in order to register as an operational unit.
Registration requiress information on the name, type and country of your company.