Study shows new EU biofuel policies increase risk of fraudulent UCO imports from Asia

In Washington, D.C., a new study by the International Council for Clean Transportation notes that as proposed revisions to the European Union’s the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) and new proposals that incentivize the use of renewable fuels in the aviation and marine sectors are likely to stimulate even more demand for UCO imports and can lead to those policies boosting the amount of fraudulent used cooking oil imported into the EU.

“As a low-carbon feedstock for biofuel that is both technologically mature and commercially available, used cooking oil is ideal for meeting existing biofuel mandates in Europe and the United States,” according to Euractive. “At the same time, the demand for UCO for biofuel within Asia is increasing, as well.”

The study compares UCO collection and domestic use rates in six Asian countries to the quantities in demand for export. The findings cast doubt on Asian countries’ ability to meet the future demand prompted by tabled EU legislation, increasing the risk that restricted feedstocks, such as virgin palm oil, will be illicitly used to bulk up UCO quantities.