INTRODUCTION: SOCIOECONOMIC ASPECTS OF BIOMASS CONVERSION - Biomass as a Sustainable Energy Source for the Future - page 22

BOX 1.1: EXAMPLE OF SUSTAINABILITY CRITERIA IN NATIONAL
POLICIES

In the Netherlands, a committee under the supervision of former minister Cramer
has worked out criteria for sustainable bioenergy development, the so-called
Cramer criteria (Cramer et al., 2007). They relate to nine principles:

1. The greenhouse gas balance of the production chain and application of the
biomass must be positive.
2. Biomass production must not be at the expense of important carbon sinks in
the vegetation and in the soil.
3. The production of biomass for energy must not endanger the food supply
and local biomass applications (energy supply, medicines, building
materials).
4. Biomass production must not affect protected or vulnerable biodiversity and
will, where possible, have to strengthen biodiversity.
5. In the production and processing of biomass the soil and the soil quality are
retained or improved.
6. In the production and processing of biomass ground and surface water must
not be depleted and the water quality must be maintained or improved.
7. In the production and processing of biomass the air quality must be main-
tained or improved.
8. The production of biomass must contribute towards local prosperity.
9. The production of biomass must contribute towards the social well-being of
the employees and the local population.

the sourcing, logistics, and use of biomass should be further worked out without creat-
ing unwanted trade barriers such as import and export tariffs (Tanaka, 2011). In this
respect, also similar criteria should be applied to existing fossil fuel sourcing and
distribution practices to create a similar level playing field.

1.3.2 Sustainable Biomass in Terms of Ecological Considerations

Regarding the environmental impact , the GHG footprint has already been discussed in
Section 1.1.3 as an important point of attention when introducing certain biomass-to-
energy supply schemes.
Not only GHG but also other emissions to the air determine the acceptability in
terms of sustainable bioenergy development. These concern, e.g., acid rain precursors,
NO x and SO x . Nitrogen and sulfur are bound in biomass, and oxidation processes lead
to the emission of species that are further converted to acidic species in the atmos-
phere, as has been discussed in Section “ Other Emissions from Energy Conversion

Processes Leading to Air Pollution. ” Also, trace elements in biomass, such as Cu,