The Biofuels Sustainability Ordinance (Biokraft-NachV) serves to implement Directive 2009/28/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 April 2009, which defines the crediting of the fulfilment of the statutory obligation under the Federal Immission Control Act to place a certain minimum proportion of biofuels on the market in the course of a calendar year and the tax relief eligibility of biofuels under the Energy Tax Act.

Certification systems ensure organisational compliance with the sustainability criteria in the bioenergy sector for the production and supply of biomass and contain specifications for the more detailed definition of the sustainability requirements, for proof of compliance and for monitoring this proof. They set requirements for the implementation of the sustainability criteria. In the bioenergy sector, every business or facility involved in the production and supply of biomass that complies with the Ordinance must have committed itself to complying with the requirements of a recognised certification system.

Certification systems are recognised for this purpose upon application.