The sustainability of advanced biofuels in the EU
This report focuses on the potential sustainability of an advanced biofuel industry relying on mainly wastes and residues as the feedstock base. Presented as a series of ‘factsheets’ we consider various feedstocks put forward by the Commission in its recent proposal to mitigate indirect land use change (ILUC). We summarise what they are and how they might be defined, the existing uses, risks of diverting from these uses, and any safeguards that may be required. This is offered as an information source, prepared as part of IEEP’s Biofuels ExChange, particularly for those involved in the current policy debate on advanced biofuels.
The uncertainties surrounding the use of many of the feedstocks highlight the importance of introducing appropriate safeguards in EU legislation. To feed into the debate on ILUC and the Commission’s proposal, the report proposes a series of general environmental safeguards that will be applicable to all feedstocks.