An analysis by European Federation Transport & Environment (T&E), a Brussels-based NGO, of the European Commission’s agriculture data shows that 53 percent of feedstocks – vegetable oils mainly from rapeseed, palm and soya – used to produce crop biodiesel in EU installations in 2015 was imported. "Contrary to what the biofuels industry and Copa-Cogeca like to claim, around half of the crop biodiesel produced in the EU is based on imports", said Laura Buffet, clean fuels manager at T&E
Citing data from Oil World, an independent vegetable oil market analysis publication, 33 percent of EU crop biodiesel came from imported palm oil, which T&E says makes “cars and trucks the top consumers” of palm oil in Europe.
EU car and truck drivers are the biggest consumers of palm oil in Europe and they don’t know it. We call for transparency in this opaque market, said Buffet.
According to T&E, EU’s “policy push” for crop-based biodiesel has led to the creation of an additional market for vegetable oils. The share of EU-produced biodiesel from feedstocks grown or produced in Europe has remained stable since 2009 when the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) was enacted.
Figures from the Commission’s agriculture directorate show that between 2005 and 2015, total vegetable oil consumption in the EU decreased in the food sector, from 15.1 to 13.7 million tonnes, whereas it almost quadrupled in the bioenergy sector – from 2.9 to 10.5 million tonnes.
According to T&E, the biodiesel sector uses 60 percent of all rapeseed consumed in Europe. Palm oil imports “have soared” to satisfy most of the growth in the biofuels market as a result of EU policy support. This is also the case for waste oils, which double counting under the RED has encouraged.
EU crop biodiesel, including from rapeseed, is worse for the climate than fossil diesel. Phasing out palm oil alone is not going to fix the biofuels policy. MEPs should vote to phase out crop biodiesel as soon as possible, said Buffet.
T&E also notes that according to the 2017 EU Energy Statistical Pocketbook, biodiesel accounts for four out of every five litres of biofuel consumed in European transport is biodiesel thus the ethanol industry is currently a minor player in the EU biofuels market.
The European Parliament is currently reviewing a Commission proposal to recast the Renewable Energy Directive, under which states member states can still count a 3.8 percent share of food-based biofuels towards their renewable energy targets in 2030. The vote in the leading Environment Committee has been scheduled for October 23.
