Get to know the EU ETS-verifier

Benedicte Adelheide joined Ecoxy AS on January 1st, 2023, and has just completed a thorough training course to become a certified verifier under the EU ETS legislation. The European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) is a big international climate quota system in Europe that incorporates a company’s rights to release greenhouse gases (GHG). This quota market is the EU’s most important climate policy tool, and it is controlled by the Norwegian Environment Agency in Norway (Miljødirektoratet).

Adelheide has had the chance to analyse and visit various industrial sites as part of her training. A typical working day for a verifier consists of a detailed assessment of a facility’s calculations, accreditations, event documentation and communication data to conduct a thorough verification. These analyses must be carried out in compliance with the EU ETS legislation and directives and comply with the approvals granted by the Norwegian Environment Agency.

The EU’s quota system is primarily intended for industry, and it works by establishing a ceiling that specifies the maximum amount of CO2 equivalents that can be released from year to year. This ceiling is gradually dropped, resulting in lower emissions.

“As an Ecoxy verifier, my days are quite eventful. We put great focus on getting to know the various companies and reviewing emission permits, calculations, and documentation,” Adelheide explains. “We have a wide range of companies in our portfolio, and we get to study many various processes and sectors along the way.”

Last week, Adelheide went on a verification visit to Speira Holmestrand; an industrial company that supplies Aluminium for building and construction-related products in all possible colors, as well as packaging and can gods. Investments in sustainability and recyclable materials have led to an increase in Aluminium demand in recent years, as Speira Holmestrand notes.

During the verification visit, Birgitte Brockstedt Kvamme, Environmental & Sustainability Manager at Speira, shows us around the facility and says, “Aluminium is only becoming more and more popular – both because of its technical properties, as well as the fact that it is recyclable, heat-conducting, and weighs very little.” She points to the massive casting blocks behind us. “At Speira, we recycle Aluminium scrap like soda cans. Aluminium can be recycled indefinitely without loss in quality and by using less energy. In this approach, we assure a circular life cycle for the product. One such casting block laying here weighs 7-8 tonnes, and they are constructed from aluminium waste and recycled soda cans.” By use of Aluminium scrap we also reduce the CO2 footprint of our end products.

Speira Holmestrand and all other companies subject to quotas have a 31st of March deadline to submit annual reporting of quota-based GHG emissions and allocation data to the Norwegian Environment Agency (Miljødirektoratet). Nevertheless, before the reports can be submitted, they must be carefully reviewed by an accredited verifier in accordance with EU ETS legislation and directives and comply with the approvals given by the Norwegian Environment Agency.

“It feels both valuable and important to be a verifier in Ecoxy,” Adelheide explains. “We have committed to reducing our GHG emissions by 80% by 2050 and reaching climate neutrality. It is evident that considerable changes are required to meet the climate policy goals.” She packs her laptop and concludes the Speira Holmestrand’s verification visit. “Being at the centre of this movement is exciting, and I’m pleased I decided to continue my professional path with Ecoxy.”

If your company is subject to quotas and would like an offer or a non-binding discussion with Ecoxy’s verification department, please contact us at ets@ecoxy.no. And please remember to submit your annual verified emissions report in Altinn by March 31st.