Event Recap: ISCC Regional Stakeholder Conference – North America
On 29 September 2026, we welcomed more than 220 participants to the ISCC Regional Stakeholder Conference – North America in Nashville, Tennessee, and online. The conference offered a great opportunity to discuss the latest developments and connect with fellow stakeholders. It combined regulatory updates with research findings and practical experiences from ISCC System Users. A big thank you to our Premium Sponsors SGS and Control Union, as well as our Custom Sponsor SCS Global Services, for their valuable contribution to this event!
Dr Norbert Schmitz, Managing Director at ISCC, and Committee Co-Chair Don Scott, ISCC Program Manager at SCS Global Services, opened the conference.
ISCC developments and global markets perspectives
Dr Norbert Schmitz outlined ISCC’s role as a global solution provider helping companies navigate different market requirements through verified, traceable supply chains. He reported that the number of valid ISCC certificates in North America had increased by 17% compared with September 2025. Dr Jan Henke, Director at ISCC and Meo Carbon Solutions, discussed developments in the circular economy and bioeconomy. He highlighted the growing importance of plastics regulations in the United States and noted that ISCC is currently developing a new scheme for regulated recycling markets.
Jennifer Aurandt-Pilgrim, VP of Carbon Development at Marquis Management and Co-Chair of the ISCC Technical Stakeholder Committee – Agri-Food and Feed, introduced the committee’s work. A central focus is the review of ISCC Sustainability Principles 2–6, covering environmental practices, working conditions, human and labour rights, legal compliance, and management practices. The objective is to simplify and clarify the requirements and audit procedures to reduce complexity, improve usability, and strengthen integrity. Jennifer invited all interested stakeholders to join the Technical Committee and the Principles 2-6 revision workshop.
Certification and regulatory developments across North America
Émilie Brochu, Environment Director at StormFisher, shared the RFNBO pre-certification experience of the company’s Varennes e-methanol project in Canada. She explained how the document-based assessment helped translate certification requirements into project actions ahead of final design and commissioning.
Lisa Hanke, VP of Renewable and Low Carbon Fuels at Peterson Solutions, examined the challenges of operating in a global renewable fuels market. Using a US corn ethanol producer as an example, she illustrated how differences between regulatory frameworks affect feedstock eligibility, carbon intensity calculations, verification, and reporting obligations.
Megan Dwyer, Director of Conservation and Nutrient Stewardship at the Illinois Corn Growers Association, discussed growers’ participation in regenerative agriculture programmes linked to the US 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit. Dr Steffen Mueller, ISCC Association Vice Chair and Associate Director at the Energy Resources Center at the University of Illinois Chicago, then introduced CropCert, a new certification system for the North American market. Developed with support from grower organisations, the system aims to verify low carbon intensity crops.
Chris Vervaet, Senior Associate at T. Bjornson & Associates, examined sustainability requirements for crop feedstock under California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard. Returning to the stage, Jennifer Aurandt-Pilgrim explored carbon capture and storage as a route to reducing emissions from ethanol production.
Adam S. Peer, Senior Director of Plastics Sustainability at the American Chemistry Council, outlined key challenges, the US regulatory landscape, and technologies for the circular economy. Examples from Colorado and California illustrate how regulatory definitions and rules for recycled content claims can influence the development of the recycling industry.
The presentations were followed by a lively panel discussion on the future of chemical recycling in the US, moderated by Adam Peer (American Chemistry Council), with Harrison Dawson (Eastman), Adnan Karim (Chemical Recycling & Low Carbon Solutions), and Shannon Milburn (ExxonMobil). The panellists discussed the importance of mass balance, its role in scaling up the circular economy, and how clear standards and independent certification, including ISCC, can provide a foundation for lawmakers to develop effective regulatory frameworks.Beyond regulation, the discussion explored growing consumer interest in sustainability and the importance of defining clear goals, identifying practical ways to achieve them, and understanding the costs for consumers. The panellists emphasised that progress requires ongoing interaction between standards, regulation, industry innovation, and consumer demand.
Advancing circularity through certification
Shannon Milburn, Global Commercial Implementation Manager at ExxonMobil, presented the company’s advanced recycling activities and explained how mass balance connects processed plastic waste with certified circular products. Nate McCrary, Director of Brand Owner Business Development at LYB, shared preliminary findings from a value chain pilot examining fuel-use excluded mass balance accounting for the pyrolysis pathway. Early observations indicated that auditing on this basis is feasible but likely requires industry standard dual-use factors for certain products.
Certification in practice: Insights from the field
Dr Steffen Mueller returned with an overview of regional developments supported by the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). He highlighted the ongoing UIC and ISCC research collaboration on US plastic recycling regulations, covering recycled content, advanced recycling, mass balance approaches, and environmental claims. Karyn Jones, Director of Sustainability at Gevo, presented the company’s plans to further expand low-carbon ethanol production across North America.
Bryan Sievers, Director of Government Relations at Roeslein Renewables, explored untapped opportunities in global maritime markets. He highlighted the importance of coherent policy frameworks in driving investment and enabling US producers to participate in these emerging markets.
A further panel, moderated by Steffen Mueller, focused on building the North American SAF market from producer to aircraft. The discussion brought together Sam Talsma (AvFuel), Nicolaus D’Antonio (Bunge), Cristina Gamboa (XCF), and Sean Newsum (Airlines for America). The panellists discussed the importance of scaling up SAF production and explored how tax incentives, mandates, and greater alignment between regulatory frameworks could support market growth and investment certainty. They reasoned that affordability, sustainability and availability of SAF are key requirements that must be met together, and highlighted ISCC’s role in verifying compliance with sustainability requirements as the industry works towards making SAF more widely accessible and affordable.
Marcela Castaño, Principal Applied Researcher at Bridgestone Americas, concluded the presentations with insights into the company’s transition towards circular and renewable materials for their tyre production. She explained how certified mass balance can enable progress today and why building trust in sustainability claims is key to accelerating adoption and impact.
The conference concluded with a wrap-up by Norbert Schmitz and a lively networking reception. A big thank you goes to all speakers and attendees for their engagement, valuable contributions, and lively discussions. We look forward to seeing you at the next conference!
