The EBC was developed to limit the risks of biochar usages to the best of our scientific knowledge and to help the users and producers of biochar to prevent or at least to reduce any hazard for the health and for the environment while producing and using biochar. For thousands of years, charcoal has been one of civilisation's basic materials. By far the most common use of charcoal was for cooking, for heating and for smouldering when producing metal tools. However, for centuries charcoal and biochar have also been used for conditioning soils, or as litter (bedding) materials, as medicine and also as a feed additive. Over the course of the last century most of this traditional knowledge has been lost yet is being rediscovered since 2010. Thanks to wide-ranging multidisciplinary research and field trials, the understanding of the biological and physico-chemical processes involved in the production and use of biochar has made great progress. A significant increase in the agricultural use of biochar has already been recorded since 2015. From 2020 onwards, a further acceleration in both agricultural and industrial use of biochar is expected.

Agricultural applications range from soil conditioners, composting additives and carriers for fertilisers to manure treatment and stable bedding, silage additives and feed additives. Industrial applications are particularly relevant to the construction, plastics, paper and textile industries.