Automotive Exports – April 2017

Monthly automotive aftermarket magazine
European Commission To Phase
Out Use Of Vegetable Oils
Environment MEPs tell Commission to phase out the use of vegetable oils
for biofuels, preferably by 2020
The environment committee
of the European Parliament
adopted a resolution urging the
European Commission to phase
out the use of vegetable oils for
biofuels, preferably by 2020. All
political groups agreed on the need
to stop incentives to biofuels that
cause deforestation and peatland
drainage, which includes a range
of feedstocks such as palm oil, soy
and rapeseed. The resolution was
on an own-initiative report on palm
oil and deforestation.
Cristina Mestre, biofuels officer of
Transport & Environment (T&E),
said: “We welcome the European
Parliament’s call to end support
for biodiesel made from vegetable
oils. These fuels have higher
emissions than regular diesel and
cause deforestation and peatland
drainage. Truly sustainable
advanced biofuels can only have a
chance if the European Commission
stops promoting cheap, polluting
biodiesel.”
On average, biodiesel from virgin
vegetable oil leads to around 80%
higher emissions than the fossil
diesel it replaces. This is based
on biodiesel’s lifecycle emissions,
which include land-use change
emissions (ILUC). ILUC occurs when
new or existing cropland is used
for biofuel feedstock production,
thereby causing carbon sinks to
be opened. In 2015, biodiesel was
the most popular biofuel in Europe
with a market share of 80%, mainly
made from palm oil, rapeseed and
soy.
Of all the sources of biofuel for
transport, palm oil has the highest
GHG emissions – 303% of the
emissions of fossil diesel. Expansion
of palm production incentivized
by usage of this oil for biodiesel
causes deforestation and peatland
drainage, mainly in Southeast Asia
but also in Latin America and Africa.
Motorists are the top consumers of
palm oil in Europe, according to
figures obtained by T&E. In 2015,
46% of all the palm oil used in
Europe ended up in the tanks of
cars and trucks.
Cristina Mestre concluded:
“Vegetable oils such as palm
oil, rapeseed and soy work as
substitutes for each other. Banning
palm oil in biodiesel is not the
solution because it will simply be
replaced by rapeseed or soy which
also produce higher emissions than
regular diesel because of indirect
impacts, The only real solution is
to stop all incentives that artificially
generate demand for vegetable
oils in the transport sector.”
114 APRIL 2017