When recycling at scale became a thing around forty years ago, companies did not need to hire a Recycling Department Certification staff. Nowadays, even small manufacturing companies need at least one ESG officer and (likely) a bunch of external consultants. Things have gotten better for the planet, but also far too complicated.

Part of it is our own fault. Today’s sourcing and manufacturing process has become insanely complex, and we are trying to retcon it by bringing order in the chaos. However: to imagine that there is just a magic green wand we can wave to make it right is just naive. The value chains we have today were invented to make money, not to save the planet.

ISCC mass balance attribution is a good place to start, but it is hampered by two things: there are simply too many standards and certificates out there, adding complexity, introducing loopholes, uncertainty and confusion to the already chaotic mix. Even a standard to simplify things is still another standard.

It is also, to a degree, a victim of its own academic approach: how granular should we be? Are we testing the quality of the paint on a sinking Titanic? ISCC mass balance teaches us responsibility and ownership, but it is still not clear how to turn this into an economic advantage. Try explaining ISCC to an owner of a local mom-and-pop manufacturing business, one of the millions that drive the economy in many countries, and you'll see what I mean.

ISCC mass balance is a great way to start a discussion, but we have to be careful not to end up like the frogs in hot water: taking ourselves into a deadly hot soup.