The presentation gives an overview of Sustainability indicators for bioenergy, developed by Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) and Sustainability assessment of the selected bioenergy pathways in the case study sites within the FORBIO project.

1. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
GBEP SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS
FORBIO Project Kiev, Ukraine
Marco Colangeli (FAO)
20 September 2017

2. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
GBEP MEMBERSHIP

3. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
GBEP SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS
FOR BIOENERGY
GBEP has developed a set of 24 indicators for the assessment
and monitoring of bioenergy sustainability at national level
The GBEP indicators cover each of the three pillars of
sustainability and address the production and use of all liquid,
solid and gaseous biofuels for heating and cooking,
electrification and transport
INDICATORS
1. Lifecycle GHG emissions
9. Allocation and tenure of land
for new bioenergy production
17. Productivity
2. Soil quality
10. Price and supply of a national
food basket
18. Net energy balance
3. Harvest levels of wood
resources
11. Change in income 19. Gross value added
4. Emissions of non-GHG air
pollutants, including air
toxics
12. Jobs in the bioenergy sector
20. Change in consumption of
fossil fuels and traditional use
of biomass
5. Water use and efficiency
13. Change in unpaid time spent
by women and children
collecting biomass
21. Training and re-qualification
of the workforce
6. Water quality
14. Bioenergy used to expand
access to modern energy
services
22. Energy diversity
7. Biological diversity in the
landscape
15. Change in mortality and
burden of disease attributable
to indoor smoke
23. Infrastructure and logistics for
distribution of bioenergy
8. Land use and land-use
change related to bioenergy
feedstock production
16. Incidence of occupational
injury, illness and fatalities
24. Capacity and flexibility of use
of bioenergy
ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIAL ECONOMIC

4. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS
COUNTRIES COMPLETED IN PROGRESS COMMITTED
Argentina X
Brazil X
China X
Colombia X
Egypt X*
Ethiopia X
Germany X
Ghana X
Indonesia X
Italy X*
Jamaica X
Japan X*
Kenya X
Netherlands X
Paraguay X
USA X
Sudan X
Uruguay X
Vietnam X

5. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
WP3: Sustainability assessment of
selected bioenergy pathways in the
case study sites
FORBIO Project Kiev, Ukraine
Lorenzo Traverso (FAO)
20 September 2017

6. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
To assess the environmental, social and economic
sustainability of the selected advanced bioenergy value
chains in the target countries
• TASK 3.1 Development of a tailored set of sustainability indicators for bioenergy based on the
specific conditions of each of the case study sites
• Reference tool: GBEP Sustainability Indicators for Bioenergy
• Adaptation: National, ex-post => Local, ex-ante;
• TASK 3.2 Compilation of existing environmental, social and economic data necessary for the
measurement of the tailored set of sustainability indicators;
• TASK 3.3 Identification of data gaps and selection and use of suitable proxies;
• TASK 3.4 Measurement of the set of sustainability indicators for bioenergy in the case study
sites (report available on June 2018)

7. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
TASK 3.1: DEVELOPMENT OF A
TAILORED SET OF SUSTAINABILITY
INDICATORS
LED BY FAO
FORBIO

8. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
Starting point is the most widely recognized and agreed set of 24
indicators for the assessment and monitoring of bioenergy sustainability
developed by:
The Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) Indicators
The GBEP indicators cover each of the three pillars of sustainability:
• Environmental
• Social
• Economic
1. Development of a tailored set of sustainability indicators

9. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
The Global Bioenergy Partnership Sustainability Indicators
for Bioenergy
INDICATORS
1. Lifecycle GHG emissions
9. Allocation and tenure of land
for new bioenergy production
17. Productivity
2. Soil quality
10. Price and supply of a national
food basket
18. Net energy balance
3. Harvest levels of wood
resources
11. Change in income 19. Gross value added
4. Emissions of non-GHG air
pollutants, including air
toxics
12. Jobs in the bioenergy sector
20. Change in consumption of
fossil fuels and traditional use
of biomass
5. Water use and efficiency
13. Change in unpaid time spent
by women and children
collecting biomass
21. Training and re-qualification
of the workforce
6. Water quality
14. Bioenergy used to expand
access to modern energy
services
22. Energy diversity
7. Biological diversity in the
landscape
15. Change in mortality and
burden of disease attributable
to indoor smoke
23. Infrastructure and logistics for
distribution of bioenergy
8. Land use and land-use
change related to bioenergy
feedstock production
16. Incidence of occupational
injury, illness and fatalities
24. Capacity and flexibility of use
of bioenergy

10. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
Based on the sustainability GBEP Indicators a tailored set of
indicators is developed through:
• GBEP Indicators screening
- A sub-set of indicators that best apply to the case study conditions has been
selected starting from the 24 GBEP sustainability Indicators
• Each selected indicator’s methodology is currently being adapted to
better represent the reality of the case study sites
- Builds upon data and information collected under WP2 – strict collaboration and
information exchange with BCXA, CREA, WIP, FIB; SECBio; BI
- Adapted to describe with the highest accuracy and reliability the parameters of
interest of each case study site
- Specifically, the indicators are adapted with a view to research explicitly impacts
of known pollutants in contaminated areas;

11. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
FORBIO BIOENERGY SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS
ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIAL ECONOMIC
Life-cycle GHG Land Tenure Productivity
Soil Quality Change in Income Net Energy Balance
Non GHGs Jobs in Bioenergy Sectors Gross Value Added
Water Use and Efficiency Modern Energy Access Trainings
Water Quality Infrastructures and
logistics for bioenergy
distribution
Biodiversity
Land Use Change Capacity and flexibility of
use of bioenergy
The Selected Sustainability Indicators for Bioenergy in the
context of FORBIO

12. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
The GBEP Indicators are intended to describe sustainability of existing
bioenergy production and use to date (ex-post)
FORBIO aims at assessing the sustainability of bioenergy as future return or
prospect of a bioenergy supply chain (ex-ante) for each of the project sites
GBEP FORBIO
EX-POST EX-ANTE

13. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
The GBEP Indicators are intended to describe sustainability of bioenergy at
national level
FORBIO requires specific adaptation in order to measure the sustainability of
bioenergy at local level (regional, provincial, municipal, single operator, etc.)
GBEP FORBIO
NATIONAL LEVEL LOCAL LEVEL
(Regional, provincial,
municipal, single operator,
etc.)

14. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
GBEP FORBIO
EX-POST
EX-ANTE
NATIONAL LEVEL
LOCAL LEVEL
(Regional, provincial,
municipal, single operator,
etc.)

15. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
EXAMPLE OF METHODOLOGY
ADAPTATION:
SOIL QUALITY INDICATOR
FORBIO

16. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
EXAMPLE OF METHODOLOGY ADAPTATION
SOIL QUALITY INDICATOR
DATA REQUIREMENTS
GBEP FORBIO
Tot. Land used for bioenergy Tot. Land used for bioenergy
SOC content SOC content
Soil loss, erosion, compaction or
salinisation (in case of soil quality decline)
Soil loss, erosion, compaction or
salinisation (in case of soil quality decline)
Stabilising measures of soil quality
decline factors
Stabilising measures of soil quality
decline factors
Additional physical, chemical and
biological indicators (site characterisation)
Soil contamination/soil pollutants
Monitoring soil quality parameter and
contamination parameters
✓
✗ ✓
✓

17. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
Physical, chemical and biological
indicators
EXAMPLE OF METHODOLOGY ADAPTATION
SOIL QUALITY INDICATOR

18. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
Analysis of soil
condition
Soil quality integrates the physical, chemical, and biological components of soil
and their interactions. Therefore, in order to capture the nature of soil quality, all
parameters below should be measured and where feasible, monitored
Physical, chemical and biological indicators
Symbol/abbreviation Unit
Physical
Aggregate stability AS % of soil > 0.25mm
Available water capacity AWC % volumetric water
Bulk density BD g/cm3
Infiltration F mm/hrs
Soil crusts Kg/cm3
Soil structure and macropores
Total Porosity PO % volumetric
Chemical
Reactive Carbon Mg/kg
Soil Electrical Conductivity EC mS/cm
Soil Nitrate NO-
3 mg NO3-N/m-2
Soil pH pH °pH
Phosphorus H2PO-
4/HPO--
4 mg/kg
Potassium K2O mg/kg
Biological
Particulate Organic Matter g Kg-1
Potentially Mineralizable Nitro.
Soil Enzymes U g of dry soil
Soil Respiration mg CO2-C/m-2/day-1

19. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
Soil contamination or
pollution
Physical, chemical and biological
indicators
EXAMPLE OF METHODOLOGY ADAPTATION
INDICATOR 2 SOIL QUALITY

20. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
The analysis of soil contaminants is critical to evaluate the soil quality indicator.
Most common
soil contaminants
Soil contamination or pollution
Symbol Unit
Heavy metals
Lead Pb
Chromium Cr
Arsenic As
Zinc Zn
Cadmium Cd
Copper Cu
Mercury Hg
Symbol Unit
Fertilizers
Nitrate NO3
-
Phosphate (e.g. Sodium
triphosphate)
PO3-
4
Phosphorous P
Potassium K
Radionuclides

21. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
Most common
soil
contaminants
Soil contamination or pollution
The analysis of soil contaminants is critical to evaluate the soil quality indicator.
Symbo
l
Unit
Petroleum Hydrocarbons
Mono aromatics (e.g. benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene,
and xylenes etc.)
AHs
Polycyclic aromatic PAHs
Polychlorinated biphenyls PCBs
Chlorinated aromatic compounds
Detergents
Solvents
Inorganic acids
Pesticides
DDT
Hydrophobic, persistent, and bioaccumulable pesticides (organochlorine
DDT, endosulfan, endrin, heptachlor, lindane and their TPs)
Polar pesticides (represented mainly by herbicides but they include also
carbamates, fungicides and some organophosphorus insecticide TPs)

22. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
More detailed monitoring
of soil parameters
Soil contamination or
pollution
Physical, chemical and biological
indicators
EXAMPLE OF METHODOLOGY ADAPTATION
INDICATOR 2 SOIL QUALITY

23. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
Monitoring soil quality parameters of each bioenergy production site during
the project implementation will include:
Monitoring of specific soil parameters
• Selected bioenergy crops; soil and crop management
• Basic parameters repeated measurements od SOM; SOC (if possible include
the trend changes) – assess baseline values in FORBIO context
• Depending on the risk assessment:
- in case of increased erosion risk: information on good soil management
practices in place/to be adopted by production site;
- in case of increased soil salinization risk: identify practices that can
contribute to salinization;
- in case of increased soil compaction risk: identify causes of compaction
and repeat data measurement of bulk density of the soil by production
site.

24. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
TASK 3.2: COMPILATION OF
EXISTING DATA
FORBIO

25. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
• collection of information enabling FAO to perform the sustainability
assessment
• Existing environmental, social and techno-economic data will be screened
and collected; necessary missing information will be researched and, to the
extent possible, surveyed and produced in the form of primary data;
To this end, the provision of field trials would be an important asset.
2. Compilation of existing data

26. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
TASK 3.3: IDENTIFICATION OF DATA
GAPS AND PROXIES
FORBIO

27. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
The analysis of the sustainability of bioenergy requires often long term data
series and it is possible that such information is not available for each tailored
indicator;
Once specific data gaps have been identified, suitable proxies will be selected
and used for the indicator lacking sufficient and/or appropriate data;
GBEP already presented a set of useful proxies for most of its indicators, but
during the project further site-specific proxies will be discussed with local
experts and stakeholders.
3. Identification of proxies and identification of data gaps

28. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
TASK 3.4: SUSTAINABILITY
INDICATORS MEASURAMENT
FORBIO

29. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
The set of sustainability indicators selected and opportunely adapted, will be
measured for each of the case study sites;
The results of the measurements will be verified and interpreted through a
series of webinars and/or meetings in the case study sites with a
representative number of local stakeholders;
Building on these discussions, the results of the different sustainability
assessments will be compiled into a report.
4. Measurement of the set of sustainability indicators for
bioenergy in the case study sites

30. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No691846.
THANK YOU
Lorenzo Traverso
Project Adviser
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Climate and Environment Division (NRC)
Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) secretariat
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00153 Rome – ITALY
Tel: +39.06.0753295
E-Mail: lorenzo.traverso@fao.org
www.fao.org