VANCOUVER, B.C. — Canadian Bioenergy Corporation has officially been granted BQ-9000 status, becoming the only BQ-9000 Certified Marketer of biodiesel in Canada.

BQ-9000 is a voluntary fuel quality program, modeled after the ISO-9001 standard, which has been adopted by the National Biodiesel Board and the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association.

Alex Russell, Assistant Director of Fuel Operations at Canadian Bioenergy, has spent the past two years developing quality systems which adhere to the BQ-9000 protocols.

“Quality is everything — it’s always been our top priority and the BQ-9000 process was a natural evolution for our operations,” said Russell. “Our customers, from coast to coast, have consistently told us how critical it is to their success, as end-users and as resellers.”

BQ-9000 is a quality assurance program comprised of protocols and procedures for biodiesel storage, handling and management, designed to preserve fuel quality throughout the entire distribution system. The result is added consumer confidence and credibility for the Canadian biodiesel industry.

“The bottom line is that biodiesel has to perform. If there’s a quality issue, it hurts the entire industry,” said Ian Thomson, president of Canadian Bioenergy and the Alberta Biodiesel Association. “We have made great progress in the past year on quality across North America. The combination of BQ-9000 accredited production with BQ-9000 certified marketing has become critical to large end-users. This is the direction we’re going in Canada to make sure biodiesel is as successful here as it is in Europe and the US.”