Waste Oil- and Fat Use
in the EU Transport Sector:
Promoting the Most Efficient Use
of Limited Raw Material

Although animated by good principles, the current blending mandate within the European Commission’s RefuelEU proposal may have negative consequences for the entire ecosystem.

It may lead to over-reliance on waste oils and fats that are critical for the 2025-2035 period: as waste oils and fats from the maritime and road sectors are diverted towards the aviation sector, there will not be enough waste-based and advanced biodiesel technology for plants to continue their operations. As a result, these plants, mostly located in rural areas, will be forced to shut down with a significant loss of jobs. Additionally, within the context of the road and maritime sectors, the use of waste and oils is generally more efficient and leads to higher GHG savings that their use in aviation. At a systemic level, thus, the EU transport system could be negatively impacted – lower GHG savings – by the prioritization of waste oils. 

Ultimately, to achieve the objectives, we should focus instead on directing investment towards developing technologies using scalable feedstocks such as alcohol-to-jet, fischer-tropsch and efuels, while creating a level playing field between all transport sectors and existing legal instruments such as ReFuelEU, FuelEU and REDIII.