“Despite stronger safeguards and an expanded feedstock base, EU policy still imposes a 1.7% contribution cap on fuels produced from Annex IX Part B feedstocks, such as used cooking oil and animal fats. This limit no longer reflects today’s market reality. Yet the cap remains unchanged.”
A European Solution in an Uncertain Energy World
Global energy markets are once again under pressure. Oil prices are rising, supply chains are tightening, and Europe remains heavily exposed to imported fossil fuels from the United States, Qatar and other regions.
At a time when energy security is back at the top of the political agenda, Europe must look seriously at the solutions it already produces at home.
Waste-based and advanced biodiesel is one of them.
Produced from used cooking oils, animal fats and other Annex IX waste and advanced residues, these fuels are manufactured in Europe using materials that would otherwise end up in landfills, sewage systems or lower value uses. Instead, they are converted into renewable transport fuels that deliver some of the highest greenhouse-gas savings compared to fossil diesel under the Renewable Energy Directive methodology (Annex V).
Immediate Climate Impact with Existing Vehicles
Transport remains responsible for around 25% of EU greenhouse gas emissions, according to the European Environment Agency, and the sector remains one of the most difficult to decarbonise.
The EU has committed to reducing transport emissions by 90% by 2050. That transition will require efficiency improvements, the deployment of electrification and new technologies.
But the reality is simple: most vehicles sold in Europe today still run on internal combustion engines. Millions of them will remain on European roads for decades. Waste-based biodiesel provides an immediate solution.
These fuels work with the existing vehicle fleet and fuel infrastructure, delivering emission reductions now – not in ten or twenty years. European producers are already supplying renewable fuel to trucks, cars and ships across the continent. But they are largely used in the road transport sector in lower blends of B7 (7% biodiesel content or below).
When a climate solution already exists and works with today’s vehicles, the question should not be whether to use it. The question should be how to scale it faster.
Energy Security Starts at Home
Europe cannot decarbonise transport while remaining structurally dependent on imported fossil fuels and the global political landscape.
Waste-based biodiesel strengthens Europe’s energy resilience by turning domestic waste streams into valuable renewable fuel. It reduces reliance on imported oil while building local circular supply chains for feedstock collection, processing and fuel production.
It supports industrial activity across the continent, including in rural and regional areas where many collection, processing and production facilities operate. At a time when geopolitical tensions are reshaping global energy markets, strengthening domestic fuel production is not just climate policy – it is strategic policy.
Stronger Safeguards. Greater Traceability.
The waste-based biodiesel industry has evolved significantly over the past decade.
Certification systems, traceability mechanisms and monitoring requirements under the Renewable Energy Directive have become increasingly robust. To a large extent, feedstocks are tracked, sustainability criteria are verified, and supply chains are monitored through internationally recognised certification schemes.
At the same time, the European Commission expanded the Annex IX list of eligible feedstocks in March 2024, recognising additional waste and residue streams that can be sustainably converted into renewable fuels.
The system is not perfect. But safeguards today are far stronger than when these markets first emerged.
More traceability, more certification and stronger monitoring should build confidence in the sector – not restrict its growth.
Policy Limits Are Now Holding Back Climate Progress
Despite stronger safeguards and an expanded feedstock base, EU policy still imposes a 1.7% contribution cap on fuels produced from Annex IX Part B feedstocks, such as used cooking oil and animal fats. This limit no longer reflects today’s market reality.
More eligible feedstocks are now recognised under EU law. Collection systems have expanded. Traceability has improved. Yet the cap remains unchanged.
The result is a policy framework that limits the use of fuels already delivering real emission reductions today. At a time of energy uncertainty and rising climate ambition, this restriction is increasingly difficult to justify. More sustainable feedstocks and stronger safeguards should enable greater climate ambition – not artificial limits on renewable fuel use.
Europe Should Use the Solutions It Already Has
Electrification will be essential for the long-term decarbonisation of transport. But Europe cannot afford to wait for future technologies while millions of vehicles continue to operate on its roads today.
Waste-based and advanced biodiesel is already reducing emissions, strengthening Europe’s energy resilience and supporting domestic industry. The opportunity is clear. Europe should allow sustainable biodiesel to contribute fully to its climate objectives – alongside electrification and other low-carbon technologies.
At a time of global energy uncertainty, the EU must make full use of the high-quality renewable fuels it already produces at home.
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