ECN, EBA and FEAD call on the Commission to facilitate the application of carbon farming certification methodologies to compost and digestate

Brussels, 16 March 2026 – The European Compost Network (ECN), the European Biogas Association (EBA) and the European Waste Management Association (FEAD) call on the European Commission to recognise the importance of the use of organic soil improvers and organic fertilisers (i.e., compost and digestate) as an eligible agricultural practice.

When regularly applied on soil, compost and digestate can deliver key environmental and climate benefits. They contribute improving soil health while also enabling carbon sequestration in soils, thereby contributing directly to climate change mitigation. It is therefore highly important to ensure that the use of compost and digestate on agricultural soil can be effectively certified under the certification methodologies for carbon farming.

ECN, EBA and FEAD have outlined several reservations and suggestions to facilitate the application of these certification methodologies to compost and digestate in their respective position papers.
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About the European Compost Network (ECN)
The ECN is the leading European membership organisation promoting sustainable recycling practices by composting and anaerobic digestion of organic resources and guarding over the quality and safe use of the recovered organic fertilisers and soil improvers. With 67 members from 27 European countries, ECN represents more than 4,500 experts and plant operators with more than 45 million tonnes of biological waste treatment capacity.
About the European Biogas Association (EBA)

About the European Biogas Association (EBA)
EBA fully believes in the future potential of renewable gas in Europe. Founded in 2009, the association is committed to the deployment of sustainable biogas and biomethane production and use throughout the continent. EBA counts today on a well-established network of over 300 national associations and other organisations covering the whole biogas and biomethane value chain across Europe and beyond.

About the European Waste Management Association (FEAD)
FEAD is the European Waste Management Association, representing the private waste and resource management industry across Europe, including 21 national waste management federations and 3,000 waste management companies. Private waste management companies operate in 60% of municipal waste markets in Europe and in 75% of industrial and commercial waste. This means more than 500,000 local jobs, fuelling €5 billion of investments into the economy every year. For more information, please contact: info@fead.be.