ENplus® is the world-leading, transparent and independent certification scheme for wood pellet quality. The certification’s strict requirements go beyond those of the international standard (ISO 17225-2) to guarantee quality from production to delivery. It is the only quality certification scheme for wood pellets on the market to cover the entire supply chain, thus certifying pellet producers, traders and service providers.
ENplus® is also a pellet certification that actively combats fraud. The ENplus® Management follows up on every misuse of the trademark to protect the value of the certification seal and to keep the consumers informed about fraudsters that can’t be trusted. In this respect, we update a blacklist on our website on a regular basis.
Interview with Catalina-Elena Dumitru, Director of the Certification department at ENplus.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the organization?
Catalina-Elena Dumitru: ENplus® guarantees the production and trade of high-quality pellets which sets a standard and creates a common language for all the stakeholders at the residential pellet market. We not only verify the quality of the wood pellets but also require from the producers, traders and service providers to have constant quality control over pellet production and trade.
This is achieved through our stringent set of requirements and procedures but also via specific training courses the appointed quality managers of the certified companies attend. It is during these events that pellet professionals learn best practices and commit to provide a constant level of high-quality.
We also organise various initiatives to increase awareness among end-users about pellets’ advantages and the importance of purchasing a certified product.
E.E: What’s the news for 2024 about new directions?
C.E.D: Ever since ENplus® was established almost 13 years ago, the scheme is constantly expanding by certifying companies all over the world. At the moment, we have over 1260 certified companies in about 50 countries.
The majority of these pellet producers and traders are located in Europe where most of the premium pellets are consumed, however, lately we observe strong interest from pellet businesses in Asia, South America and North America. We expect better coverage with more certified companies in these continents next year.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
C.E.D: Last year, the pellet market was heavily affected by the energy crisis. The pellet prices increased all over Europe and some countries even experienced problems with pellet availability. The ban on imports from Russia and Belarus led to additional disruptions in the supply chain. However, even in such complicated times, both pellet professionals and consumers remained loyal to ENplus® and their preference for a quality product.
We already see that pellets’ price has decreased this year in most European countries and is almost back to the levels before the crisis. After the though lessons from last year, the market is more prepared and we expect a stable 2024.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2024?
C.E.D: ENplus® reported 13.3 million tonnes of certified pellets in 2022. The certified production this year is projected to surpass 14 million tonnes but we will be able to confirm it in the beginning of 2024.
At this stage, it is too early to have estimations for 2024 but from our experience throughout the years so far, we expect further expansion of the premium pellet market and another year of growth in the certified production.