Jaroslav Tymrak explains the evolution of the ENplus^® scheme

A forest engineer and certification specialist, Jaroslav Tymrak has played a key role in shaping and refining the ENplus^® scheme. In the following interview, he explains why every certification needs to be updated and what makes ENplus^® one of the best on the market.

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Please share some words about your professional path and experience, and what led you into the certification world.

I am a forest engineer, and rather soon in my professional career, I had the opportunity to be part of the development of a forest certification system in the Czech Republic. Shortly after, I was responsible for the technical unit at PEFC International, one of the two leading forest certification schemes. At that time, one of the important lessons was that activities such as standard setting, conformity assessment, certification, or accreditation have their own rules, mainly developed by organisations such as the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and promoted by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) or the European co-operation for Accreditation (EA).

After leaving PEFC, I have built my own consultancy business focusing on the forestry and wood processing sectors in the areas of chain of custody, traceability of raw materials, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability reporting. I am also helping industry bodies or multi-stakeholder organisations to develop sector specific standards and certification schemes, like ENplus^®.

 

You’ve been involved in the ENplus^® revision and are still part of the improvements of the certification scheme. What is the most challenging aspect of the process for you?

In the beginning, when I was invited to participate in the comprehensive revision of the ENplus^® scheme, my main message was: “Don’t try to re-invent the wheel”. Certification and accreditation have their internationally recognised rules, and it is beneficial to all, users and consumers to adhere to those rules.

The second challenge was to clearly define the scope of the ENplus® and which aspects of wooden pellets would be covered by the ENplus^® certification. It was decided that the ENplus^® label will deliver confidence in the technical characteristics and performance of pellets. Other issues, like sustainability and environmental impact, are also important topics, but their complexity would require a separate standard or certification scheme.

The third challenge was to write all requirements in such a way that they clearly define what the company shall do and be auditable at the same time.

 

Introducing changes could be perceived as unnecessary by some scheme users. In your opinion, why are updates of a scheme like ENplus^® needed?

In principle, every certification scheme and standard shall be revised periodically. They shall respond to both external factors, such as changing needs of customers and consumers, but also learn from the certification itself. No standard is perfect. ENplus^® also receives feedback from all actors, companies, certification bodies, runs its own market surveillance, and at a certain point, this experience needs to translate into an update of the standards. Typically, every five years, standards should be reviewed to determine whether they still meet the intended objectives, and if not, they should be revised. On the other hand, companies also need stability, and it is not advisable to change the rules too often.

Certification is a demanding and costly process, and it is important to also ask critical questions like “How does this requirement contribute to better pellets?” Accreditation bodies were using a slogan “Results matter”, trying to avoid extra bureaucracy and focus evaluation on those areas that have a clear impact on the outcomes.

 

After the last revision of the scheme and the introduction of the second editions of ST 1001 and ST 1003 documents, how do you compare ENplus^® to the other schemes on the market?

An ultimate objective of a certification scheme is to bring confidence to customers and consumers. Some of the features of the ENplus^® scheme set up the basis for building this confidence:

• ENplus^® scheme is the only pellets certification scheme that clearly adheres to ISO standards for certification and is aligned with “official” accreditation. Certification bodies and testing bodies are controlled by independent accreditation bodies that are not linked with the scheme owner nor with the pellets industry.
• ENplus^® operates internationally and offers solutions for facilitating the international pellets market. This contributes to the objective: “Certified once, recognised everywhere”.
• ENplus^® has a strong national presence. National Licencers operating in critical countries are fundamental in providing technical assistance and promotion of the scheme, but also providing necessary feedback for the scheme governance.
• ENplus^® has developed a very strong governance structure. There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes in collecting data, monitoring certification bodies, conducting market surveillance, or frauds investigation of those that are misusing the ENplus^® label without certification.