Beo Čista Energija has become the first-ever Energy-from-Waste Facility project certified by Gold Standard and the first in Serbia after being endorsed for its Belgrade Waste Management PPP project. The Gold Standard Carbon Credit Certification is globally recognized as the highest quality standard for carbon offset projects.
Beo Čista Energija – a special purpose vehicle formed by Veolia, Itochu Corporation and Marguerite – signed the PPP contract with the City of Belgrade in 2017 to improve its environmental and social status by introducing modern waste treatment infrastructure in the capital.
In the Vinča landfill site, where the unmanaged open dump was in operation from 1977 to 2021, about 90 million tons of Green House Gas (GHG), i.e. CO2 equivalent (tCO2e), were emitted from untreated waste over the last 45 years. The project will contribute to reducing 210,000 tons of CO2 equivalent per year, in line with seven Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations, in particular Goals 6, 7, 8, 11, 13, 15, and 17. The main driver of the project has been to address the unsustainable waste management practices in Belgrade and introduce a solution capable of preventing GHG emissions.
Since August 2021, Beo Čista Energija has been providing the service for disposal of municipal waste in sanitary landfill with biogas collection and leachate treatment, construction and demolition waste recycling, in parallel with the finalization of the construction works for Energy-from-Waste Facility, Landfill Gas Facility, and closure and remediation of the old Vinča dump.
Gold Standard, founded by the WWF and other NGOs, is globally recognized as the highest quality standard for carbon offset projects, ensuring that projects adhere to the highest levels of environmental integrity and deliver sustainable development benefits to local communities. Gold Standard certifies that projects meet strict criteria for sustainability from an environmental and social perspective and guarantees that issued carbon offsets are real, genuinely additional, measured and independently audited.
BCE Management stated:
As BCE Management, we take pride in this achievement as this Credit certificate officially proves that our project is contributing to GHG reduction featuring the highest levels of environmental integrity and contributing to sustainable development in Serbia. Also, we are pleased to support the acceleration towards the global Net-Zero ambition by producing high-quality Carbon Credits.
Tomoo YOKOBORI, General Manager, Urban Environmental & Power Infrastructure Department, ITOCHU Corporation commented: This Certification by Gold Standard is a symbolic achievement to ensure the project’s GHG reduction with a high level of environmental integration and sustainability contribution. ITOCHU, together with partners, is striving to transform the waste management system in Serbia in close partnership with the Government of Serbia and the City of Belgrade. This transformation is starting to improve a variety of environmental and social aspects that have been unresolved for decades. ITOCHU continue to make the highest effort to deliver best practices to solve social issues and global agendas.
György PALKO, Country Director of Veolia also expressed his view on the certification: “With the ambition of becoming the benchmark company for ecological transformation, Veolia is developing and deploying solutions capable of radically turning the tide and responding to our societies’ concerns.
This Certification by Gold Standard is the proof of the success of our joint efforts and our commitment to act every day for a sustainable future.
William Pierson, Managing Partner at Marguerite stated: We are very proud and congratulate the management of BČE for this achievement as the certification by Gold Standard proves once again the merits of the project from the environmental perspective, not only in terms of immense positive impacts locally, but also due to its contribution to combat against the global issue of climate change and to several UN Sustainable Development Goals.
