FORM 1:
PROPOSAL FOR A NEW FIELD OF TECHNICAL ACTIVITY
Circulation date2021-02-05

Reference number: TS/P 296(to be given by ISO Central Secretariat)

Closing date for voting
2021-04-30
Proposer
ISO/PC 308

ISO/TS/P 296

A proposal for a new field of technical activity shall be submitted to the ISO Central Secretariat,
which will assign it a reference number and process the proposal in accordance with the ISO/IEC
Directives Part 1, Clause 1.5. The proposer may be a member body of ISO, a technical committee,
subcommittee or project committee, the Technical Management Board or a General Assemblycommittee, the Secretary-General, a body responsible for managing a certification system
operating under the auspices of ISO, or another international organization with national bodymembership. Guidelines for proposing and justifying a new field of technical activity are given in
the ISO/IEC Directives Part 1, Annex C.

Proposal (to be completed by the proposer)
Title of the proposed new committee (The title shall indicate clearly yet concisely the new
field of technical activity which the proposal is intended to cover).
Chain of custody
Scope statement of the proposed new committee (The scope shall precisely define thelimits of the field of activity. Scopes shall not repeat general aims and principles
governing the work of the organization but shall indicate the specific area concerned).
Standardization in the field of chain of custody (CoC) for products and associated processes
with specified characteristics, with the aim of ensuring that associated claims are reliable.
☐

The proposer has checked whether the proposed scope of the new committee
overlaps with the scope of any existing ISO committee☐

If an overlap or the potential for overlap is identified, the affected committee has been
informed and consultation has taken place between proposer and committee on
i. modification/restriction of the scope of the proposal to eliminate the overlap,
ii. potential modification/restriction of the scope of the existing committee toeliminate the overlap.

☐

If agreement with the existing committee has not been reached, arguments arepresented in this proposal (under question 7) as to why it should be approved.

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Proposed initial programme of work. (The proposed programme of work shall correspondto and clearly reflect the aims of the standardization activities and shall, therefore, show
the relationship between the subject proposed. Each item on the programme of work shallbe defined by both the subject aspect(s) to be standardized (for products, for example,
the items would be the types of products, characteristics, other requirements, data to besupplied, test methods, etc.). Supplementary justification may be combined withparticular items in the programme of work. The proposed programme of work shall alsosuggest priorities and target dates.)
Proposed initial programme of work
Chain of custody is the process by which inputs and outputs and associated information aretransferred, monitored and controlled as they move through each step in the relevant supply
chain. Chain of custody processes operate in parallel with regulatory process at borders andinternational financial transactions, all of which need to operate in close concert to ensure that
supply chain actors meet regulatory, transparency and quality requirements.
The draft standard ISO 22095 covers chain of custody across different sectors andapproaches to chain of custody and has been recognized as a horizontal deliverable by
ISO/CS. Much of the current work in trade facilitation is focused on meeting specific legal andregulatory requirements, such as the harmonized commodity coding system (Harmonized
System) for customs. Beyond this specific regulatory space, there is opportunity for voluntarystandardization to play a further role in ensuring that specific and defined characteristics ofproducts are maintained and controlled throughout the supply chain.
ISO 22095 ‘Chain of custody – General terminology and models’ was published in October
2020. It is necessarily a general document. The proposed programme of work will include
more detailed standards for the following chain of custody models as defined in ISO 22095:•

Identity preserved•

Segregated•Controlled blending•

Mass balance•Book and claim

In addition, it is proposed to develop a framework for the assessment of conformity with thestandards.
The mass balance and book and claim standards will be the first to be developed continuing
the work started in the ad hoc group in 2020. Mass balance implementation methods arewidely used in international trade facilitation. Clear ISO standards will enable the shift towards
more responsible consumption and production by driving the development of new processes
and new raw materials (consistently with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
SDG12 and the European Green Deal).
The first working draft of the mass balance and book and claim standards for CD ballot arelikely to be available in 2021. A current draft of the scope and table of contents for the massbalance standard can be found as Annex A to this Form.
The governance of the work will follow a committee structure that is outlined in Annex B.

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Indication(s) of the preferred type or types of deliverable(s) to be produced under the
proposal (This may be combined with the "Proposed initial programme of work" if moreconvenient).
The proposer foresees the delivery, principally, of ISO standards in the initial work programme,
but the committee might go on to develop documents from the full range of ISO deliverables
where appropriate.

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Form 1: Proposal for a new field of technical activity
Page 4A listing of relevant existing documents at the international, regional and national levels.
(Any known relevant document (such as standards and regulations) shall be listed,regardless of their source and should be accompanied by an indication of theirsignificance.)
This listing is indicative only, and should not be considered exclusive.
ISO 22095:2020, Chain of custody – General terminology and models
ISO 14020:2001, Environmental labels and declarations – General principles
ISO 14021:2016, Environmental labels and declarations –claims (Type II environmental labelling)Self-declared environmental

ISO 14024:2018, Environmental labels and declarations – Type I environmental labelling –Principles and procedures ISO 14025:2010, Environmental labels and declarations – Type III
environmental declarations – Principles and procedures
ISO 14040:2006 – Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Principles and framework
ISO 14044:2006 – Environmental management – Life cycle assessment – Requirements andguidelines

ISO/IEC 17000 series on conformity assessment, including:
ISO/TS 17033:2019 – Ethical Claims and supporting information – Principles and requirements

ISO 34101-3:2019, Sustainable and traceable cocoa – Part 3: Requirements for traceability
ISO 34101-4:2019, Sustainable and traceable cocoa – Part 4: Requirements for certification
schemes
ISO 38200:2018, Chain of custody of wood and wood-based products
CEN/TS 16214-2, Sustainability criteria for the production of biofuels and bioliquids for energy
applications – Principles, criteria, indicators and verifiers – Part 2: Conformity assessment
CEN/TS 16785-2:2018 Bio-based products - Bio-based content - Part 2: Determination of thebio-based content using the material balance method
EN 16751:2016 Bio-based products - Sustainability criteria
ISO 15270:2008 Plastics - Guidelines for the recovery and recycling of plastics waste
Sustainability Claims Good Practice Guide. ISEAL Alliance, May 2015
A Guide to Traceability - A Practical Approach to Advance Sustainability in Global Supply
Chains', UNGC, 2014
WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation - there are provisions in this binding agreement that
address questions of perishable goods and the coordination of border agencies (including
standards bodies).
Other chain of custody requirements and certification scheme documents published by, forexample, RSPO, BRC, UTZ, MSC, GMP+, Global G.A.P, FSC, PEFC, RSB, UL, NSF, ISCC,
REDcert.

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A statement from the proposer as to how the proposed work may relate to or impact on
existing work, especially existing ISO and IEC deliverables. (The proposer should explain
how the work differs from apparently similar work, or explain how duplication and conflict
will be minimized. If seemingly similar or related work is already in the scope of othercommittees of the organization or in other organizations, the proposed scope shalldistinguish between the proposed work and the other work. The proposer shall indicate
whether his or her proposal could be dealt with by widening the scope of an existingcommittee or by establishing a new committee.)
The chain of custody standards proposed in the initial work programme of ISO/TC 308 will
cover generic organizational requirements and chain of custody models, and they might or
might not be used as a reference or a benchmark for related standards. However, truly tosafeguard the horizontal character of the standards developed by ISO/TC 308, a strong
structure based on close liaisons with existing committees will be necessary. It is envisaged
that ISO/TC 308 will maintain the liaisons that ISO/PC 308 has established with the following
ISO Technical Committees:•

ISO/TC 287

Sustainable processes for wood and wood-based products•

ISO/TC 292

Security and resilience•

ISO/TC 298

Rare earth•

ISO/TC 307

Blockchain and distributed ledger technologies•

ISO/PC 315

Indirect, temperature-controlled refrigerated delivery services – landtransport of parcels with intermediate transfer•

ISO/CASCO

and will seek to establish liaisons with other relevant committees, for example:•

ISO/TC 34

Food•ISO.TC 59

Buildings and civil engineering works•

ISO/TC 61

Plastics•

ISO/TC 68

Financial services•

IEC/TC 111

Environmental standardization for electrical and electronic products
and systems•

ISO/TC 122

Packaging•

ISO/TC 154

Processes, data elements and documents in commerce, industry
and administration•

ISO/TC 176

Quality management and quality assurance•

ISO/TC 207

Environmental management•

ISO/TC 268

Sustainable cities and communities•

ISO/TC 279

Innovation management•

ISO/TC 301

Energy management and energy savings•

ISO/TC 315

Cold chain logistics•

ISO/TC 323

Circular economy

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ISO/TC 324

Sharing economy

This list of potential liaisons is indicative and should not be considered exclusive.
A listing of relevant countries where the subject of the proposal is important to theirnational commercial interests.
Australia; Austria; Belgium; China; Denmark; Finland; France; Germany; Hungary;Indonesia; Ireland; Italy; Japan; Korea, Republic of; Mauritania; Mexico; Netherlands;
New Zealand; Norway; Saudi Arabia; Singapore; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Thailand;
United Kingdom; United States

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Form 1: Proposal for a new field of technical activity
Page 7A listing of relevant external international organizations or internal parties (other ISO
and/or IEC committees) to be engaged as liaisons in the development of thedeliverable(s). (In order to avoid conflict with, or duplication of efforts of, other bodies, it
is important to indicate all points of possible conflict or overlap. The result of any
communication with other interested bodies shall also be included.)
It is envisaged that ISO/TC 308 will maintain the liaisons that ISO/PC 308 has established withthe following organizations:•

Aluminium Stewardship Initiative•

European Environmental Citizens Organisation for Standardisation

•

GS1

•

ISEAL Alliance•

United Nations International Trade Centre•

Marine Stewardship Council•

International Nature and Organic Cosmetic Association•

Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification•

European Refractories Producers Federation

and will seek to establish liaisons with other relevant organizations, for example;•

Sustainable Packaging Coalition

•

UL

•

NSF

•

ISCC

•

RSB

•

REDcert•CORSIA•

The World Customs Organization (WCO)•UNCTAD•IFC / World Bank•International Chamber of CommerceThis list of potential liaisons is indicative and should not be considered exclusive.

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Form 1: Proposal for a new field of technical activity
Page 8A simple and concise statement identifying and describing relevant affected stakeholder
categories (including small and medium sized enterprises) and how they will each benefit
from or be impacted by the proposed deliverable(s).

Trade facilitation and the harmonization of global supply chains has emerged as a central
dynamic in current international supply chains, characterized by multiple inputs and multiple
movements of intermediate goods across international borders. Extensive efforts to standardize
border procedures, such as customs, sanitary and phyto-sanitary (SPS), have been greatly
facilitated by the coming-into-force WTO Agreement of Trade Facilitation. Further efforts on theharmonization of financial systems to ensure transparent and secure movement of funds along
the supply chain are also being spearheaded by ISO TC 68, financial services, and international
actors, such as the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). Absent in these efforts is astandardized language and a detailed horizontal approach to clearly describe how the specified
characteristics claimed for a material or product (or for the market as a whole) can be assured
and product integrity monitored after delivery.
The ISO 22095 generic chain of custody standard series will allow modular use of various
related, already-existing standards or internal systems. This means that there is no duplication
with the existing sector- or product-specific ISO initiatives or with private standards. The
standards will rather serve as a benchmark for identifying the differences between requirements
in different standards and certification schemes. They will allow all organizations active in the
global supply chain to better address the increasing market demand for transparency andsimplify market access by using uniform language and criteria throughout the supply chain.
The benefits are for all stakeholders because they all save time and costs by using the generalterminology and chain of custody models:•

Producers in all supply-chains, incl. multinationals and small and medium-sizedcompanies;•

Agriculture, aquaculture and forestry;•

Fishing industry;•

Extraction and mining;•

Manufacturers;•

Retailers;•

Any organization in the full value chain incl. end users, consumers and productionindustry in general;•

Traders;•(Border) regulatory agencies (e.g. Customs, SPS)•

Local and national governments;

•

NGOs;

•

Certification bodies and accreditation bodies;•

Proprietary standards bodies;•

Round table initiatives dealing with requirements for raw materials;

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Page 9•Investment companies;•

Service providers to chain of custody systems;•

Universities dealing with supply chain management;•

Banks and financial institutions;•

Business and trade associations;•For-profit and non-profit materials or agricultural products management collectives.

An expression of commitment from the proposer to provide the committee secretariat if
the proposal succeeds.
The proposer of this new field of work, ISO/PC 308, has asked NEN to continue the successful
collaboration as committee management. NEN is committed to provide the necessary
secretariat support of ISO/TC 308 if the proposal succeeds.

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Purpose and justification for the proposal. (The purpose and justification for the creationof a new technical committee shall be made clear and the need for standardization in thisfieldshall be justified. Clause C.4.13.3 of Annex C of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1
contains a menu of suggestions or ideas for possible documentation to support andpurpose and justification of proposals. Proposers should consider these suggestions,but they are not limited to them, nor are they required to comply strictly with them. Whatis most important is that proposers develop and provide purpose and justification
information that is most relevant to their proposals and that makes a substantial businesscase for the market relevance and the need for their proposals. Thorough, well-developed
and robust purpose and justification documentation will lead to more informed
consideration of proposals and ultimately their possible success in the ISO IEC system.)
In a world increasingly threatened by fractured trade relations, confidence in supply chains is
critical. Trade can only be reliably facilitated when business can have confidence in supply
chains. Yet there is currently no ISO/TC with a remit specifically to address supply chain
practice,covering chain of custody generically within ISO, although chain of custody models are usedby various industries and in various commodity supply chains. This proposal seeks to remedy
this lack.
ISO/PC 308 has built a considerable body of expertise in chain of custody and its members
have formed a cohesive team that collaborated successfully in the development of ISO 22095.
The strong working relationships established will provide a sound basis for building the wider
expert community needed to take forward the work of ISO/TC 308.
The proliferation of chain of custody systems and definitions is causing unnecessary confusionand complexity, resulting in misleading marketing, with wrongful claims, and increased costs
for consumers, brand-owners and players in different supply chains. This engenders areluctance in applying chain of custody models to support sustainable production. It might also
result in unfair competition and barriers to market access, especially for smaller companies
and developing countries.
The proposed set of chain of custody standards, with clear distinctions between them, could
enhance transparency of international trade and diminish technical barriers to trade andreduce costs. They could drastically reduce the costs and the loss of time caused by thepresent variety of chain of custody definitions and systems. This will be relevant especially forsmall and medium sized companies and involving developing countries in international trade
Recognizing that the definition of chain of custody requirements can be defined independent ofsector, raw material, product, and issue addressed, the proposed set of ISO standards is amulti-sector, globally applicable basis or reference for chain of custody requirements for supply
chain actors, which could have, however, sector-specific applications.
Existing systems might refer to this set of International chain of custody standards for the
clarification of the differences between the requirements in their system and the chain ofcustody models specified in this standard. Certification bodies could certify against thesestandards.
These standards could serve as a benchmark for identifying the differences between
requirements in different standards and certification schemes. Being based on currently
available best practice, the standards will define chain of custody models and the respective
overall physical presence of input material and products in the final output. They will allow
organizations to better address the increasing market demand for transparency and simplify

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Form 1: Proposal for a new field of technical activity
Page 11market access by using uniform language and criteria throughout the supply chain. They will
also provide clarification and guidance on non-misleading communication and claims.
The initiative to formulate this multi-sector set of ISO standards has been taken by ISO/PC 308
and is strongly supported by its stakeholders, who are convinced that rolling out a set of ISO
chain of custody standards will effectively reduce complexity, costs, supply chain risk andunnecessary use of time.
Benefits of further ISO chain of custody standards:•

Independent of sector, raw material and issue (e.g. food safety, sustainability, etc.),
where appropriate•

Terms and definitions based on globally accepted ISO language•

Modular use of related ISO and private standards possible and based on available bestpractice•

Chain of custody requirements for individual supply chain actors•

Could improve acceptance from consumers, NGOs and brand-owners•

Building trust in the provenance of raw materials and products•

Supporting achievement of the UN SDGs, such as Goal 12, Responsible Consumption
and Production•

Supporting the realization of the circular economy•

Providing confidence to customers and interested parties

Signature of the proposer
Mr. R. Busink,
Chairman of ISO/PC 308
Committee Management NEN: energy@nen.nl

Further information to assist with understanding the requirements for the items above can befound in the Directives, Part 1, Annex C.

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Form 1: Proposal for a new field of technical activity
Page 12Annex A

Draft scope and table of contents for the mass balance standard to be
developed under ISO/TC 308

Draft Title: Mass Balance – Detailed mass balance requirements and guidelines

Introduction
The mass balance model is a chain of custody model in which materials or products withspecified characteristics are mixed or co-processed with materials or products without some or
all of these characteristics, resulting in a claim on a part of the output proportional to the input.
For example, mass balance can enable a gradual shift from fossil to circular and/or biobased
economy to drive a real and positive transformation of the economy. The mass balance chain ofcustody can be used to support an incremental use of material waste and bio-based content. In
that case, fossil feedstock would be replaced within the process.
In order to drive the development of new processes and new raw materials needed for apositive transition to a circular and bio-based economy and overcoming the challenges ofsegregation of feeds, consistent mass balance methods and calculations are needed to have aclear transparent communication through the value chain, which is possible for consumers tounderstand.
The credibility of a particular mass balance application is ensured by reliable verification ofclaims which will be elaborated within the standard.

1

Scope

This standard provides requirements and guidelines for the application of the mass balance
chain of custody model defined in ISO 22095 to any material input or process, including how toallocate inputs and outputs to products of such processes.
This standard addresses:-

Allocation of materials inputs,-

System boundaries,-

Granularity level of the system – process, site, group,-

Conversion factors rules (including creation and retirement of credits),-

Traceability principles – depending on the nature of material input,-

Recommendations for the use of mass balance within LCA,-

Communication of claims.

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Draft table of contents
Foreword ............................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Introduction.......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
1

Scope............................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

2

Normative references .................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

3

Terms and definitions .................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

4

Acronyms ...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

5

General requirements ................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

6

Mass Balance at process, site or group level ................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

7

System boundary .......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

8

Communication of claims .............................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Annex A (informative) e.g. Example of Mass Balance applications .... Error! Bookmark notdefined.
Bibliography ......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

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Form 1: Proposal for a new field of technical activity
Page 14Annex B

Potential structure of ISO/TC 308, Chain of custody

Potential Structure for the Chainof Custody Technical Committee

Technical Committee
Chain of Custody
CAG
Chair’s Advisory Group
WG7

WG1

Conformity
Assessment

ISO 22095

WG2

Identity Preserved

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WG3

Segregated

WG4

Controlled
Blending

WG5

Mass Balance

WG6

Book & Claim