Only one-third of biofuels meets government standards

Over two-thirds of the biofuel used on UK roads do not meet the Qualifying Environmental Standard, according to the latest Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA) report.

The RFA’s second annual report shows an increase in the uptake of biofuel for transport fuel supply from 2.7% to 3.33%, slightly higher than the year’s target of 3.25%. Within this period biofuel was supplied from over 31 countries and at least 17 different feedstocks were used, including cooking oil, sugar beet, soy and tallow, a beef or mutton fat.  

However, only 31% of the fuel used met the environmental standard set when the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) was established the previous year, much lower than the 50% government targets.

For the other 69%, companies could not say where the fuel had come from and whether or not it is produced using a sustainable method. Companies were asked to provide information proving their supply is produced in a socially and environmentally sound way, for example making sure they avoided palm oil, a more controversial feedstock or only using locally produced fuels, but many failed to do so.

The targets require suppliers to report on three areas: how much their feedstock met the Qualifying Environmental Standard; the average greenhouse gas savings of their biofuels; and how much data on the source of biofuels had been taken.

The targets, however, are voluntary, and some companies have embraced the system more than others. While companies such as Greenenergy, Lissan, Topaz and Mabanaft have met all three targets; others including Total, Murco, BP and Morgan Stanley have met none.

Nick Goodall, Chief Executive of the RFA said in the report: “Some suppliers have already risen to the opportunity that ‘understanding supply chains better’ presents and the enhanced degree of control that this affords. In these especially, the gap between provisional and verified data has closed, testament to the improving data capture systems of reporting companies.”

This latest report details the supply of biofuels to the UK during the period from 15 April 2009 to 14 April 2010.

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