Five EU countries have demanded the European Commission establish a framework for stricter supervision of the use of biofuels in the bloc in the wake of a number of cases of fraud relating the sale of used cooking oil of unsustainable origin as transport fuel.
Europe’s reliance on used cooking oil is fuelling deforestation, says new study Chip fat is being turned into biofuel - but it might no longer be sustainable. - Copyright Getty via Canva By
• Updated: 21/04/2021
Europe is relying on dubious imports of used cooking oil as part of its green fuel scheme, according to a new study by Transport & Environment.
Used cooking oil (UCO) is waste. It derives from oils and fats that have been used for cooking or frying in the food processing industry, at restaurants, in fast foods and at the consumer level in households (e.g. soybean, canola, corn, grapeseed, sunflower or animal fats).
The imports of Used Cooking Oil (UCO) intended for the decarbonisation of EU transport are expected to significantly rise, a new report has found. However, the report also called on the EU to put limits on its use, considering its controversial origin and its hidden links to palm oil.
Used Cooking Oils (UCO) are considered waste-based and are double-counted under the EU’s renewable energy directive to decarbonise Europe’s transport sector. But the current directive does not distinguish between domestically collected oils and those imported from third countries.
Critics also suggest some of those oils contain palm oil, which the EU has decided to phase out in order to slow deforestation in tropical countries.