Prove Your Compost and Biofertiliser Are Safe, Compliant and Market-Ready
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As an accredited certification body working with REAL, Kiwa UK provides assurance that certified compost and biofertiliser is safe, compliant, and fit for purpose.
REAL runs the UK’s recognised certification schemes for organic recycling outputs used in agriculture and other market sectors. REAL administers the Compost Certification Scheme (CCS) and Biofertiliser Certification Scheme (BCS), while appointed Certification Bodies such as Kiwa carry out independent assessments and certification.
Through the Compost Certification Scheme and the Biofertiliser Certification Scheme, we help producers demonstrate regulatory compliance, product safety, and market credibility.
What are the CCS and BCS?
National Certification Schemes for the Organics Recycling Industry
REAL administers two key schemes critical to the UK agricultural and environmental supply chain:
· The Compost Certification Scheme (CCS)
· The Biofertiliser Certification Scheme (BCS)
These schemes provide assurance that compost and digestate products produced from waste treatment processes meet defined quality, safety, and regulatory standards before being applied to land.
Certification under REAL demonstrates that products are:
· Safe for human, animal, and plant health
· Consistently produced under controlled, audited processes
· Suitable for use in agricultural, horticultural, forestry, and land restoration.
Why Certification Matters?
Certification is widely recognised by regulators, customers and end-users, including farmers, food producers, retailers, and land managers, and is often specified as a procurement or contractual requirement. It provides confidence throughout the supply chain that organic fertiliser products are safe and reliable.
Protecting People, Agriculture, and the Environment
Key drivers for certification include:
· Maintaining and gaining council food and green waste collection contracts
· Legal and contractual requirements from buyers
· Food supply chain assurance
· Environmental protection and soil health
· Risk reduction for producers and land users
The CCS assures that quality compost produced from composting processes is safe for human, animal, and plant health as well as being fit for purpose.
The BCS assures that biofertiliser (digestate) produced via anaerobic digestion is equally safe and compliant
What Kiwa Offers
UKAS-Accredited Certification for CCS and BCS
Kiwa UK acts as an appointed certification body for REAL.
Our services include:
· Certification audits against CCS and BCS scheme rules
· Ongoing quality oversight and compliance assessment
· Independent, impartial verification of process controls
· Certification decision-making backed by technical expertise
This ensures robust, trusted certification that is recognised across the UK agricultural, horticultural, and environmental sectors
How We Work With Scheme Participants
A Clear, Credible Certification Process
Our certification process is designed to be transparent, proportionate, and supportive:
· Application Review: Understanding your process, outputs, and intended markets
· Audit & Assessment: Site audits aligned to CCS or BCS requirements
· Certification Decision: Independent review undertaken as per our UKAS accreditation
We work closely with producers to ensure clarity at every stage—without compromising impartiality or rigour.
Why Choose Kiwa UK?
Sector Knowledge That Adds Real Value
Kiwa UK brings established expertise in agricultural assurance and fertiliser certification, including delivery of the FIAS scheme on behalf of AIC.
Benefits of working with Kiwa include:
· Proven experience in fertiliser, agricultural and waste recycling certification
· Deep understanding of compost, digestate, and land-application risks
· Alignment with food chain, farming, and environmental assurance frameworks
· Globally recognised credibility through the Kiwa Group
This experience allows us to support CCS and BCS participants with confidence, consistency, and technical depth.
Who CCS and BCS Certification Is For
Supporting Organics Recycling, Certification is designed for organisations producing organic outputs for agricultural use, and other end uses, including:
· Anaerobic digestion operators
· Compost producers
· Organic waste processors
· Suppliers of soil improvers and biofertilisers
· Organisations serving farmers, growers, and land managers
If your products are applied to land that supports food production, certification is a critical market requirement.
Commercial Confidence Through Certification
Certification delivered by Kiwa helps you:
· Supply material to end-user markets as a certified product rather than under waste regulatory controls
· Demonstrate compliance to regulators and buyers
· Reduce liability and reputational risk
· Differentiate certified products in competitive markets
· Build trust with farmers and end-users
Our certification services are delivered in line with:
· CCS and BCS Scheme Rules and governance (https://www.qualitycompost.org.uk/documents & https://www.biofertiliser.org.uk/documents)
· UKAS accreditation requirements
· CCS and BCS technical standards
· The applicable end of waste requirements
· In England: The Compost and AD Resource Frameworks
· In Wales: Guidance Note 22 and 23
· In Scotland: WAS-G-DEF-06 and WAS-G-DEF-07
· In Northern Ireland: the Compost and AD Quality Protocols
This ensures certification that stands up to scrutiny from customers, regulators, and assurance bodies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CCS/BCS certification optional or mandatory?
While not a legal requirement in all cases, CCS and BCS certification is often required by customers, farmers, and food supply chains.
What is the difference between CCS and BCS?
CCS applies to compost from composting processes, while BCS applies to biofertiliser produced through anaerobic digestion.
Can you swap a currently certified operation to another certification body?
Yes. We regularly work with both new and established composting and AD facilities.
Get Certified with Confidence
Work with Kiwa UK for trusted, independent CCS and BCS certification that supports your market access and protects your customers.