Europe consumes twice the palm oil biofuel it produces

European biofuel consumption of palm oil residue is more than double the global production capacity, suggesting potential fraud and deforestation. This is according to a report released by the European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E). The report highlights that the EU and UK consumed approximately two million tons of palm oil mill effluent (POME) in biofuels during 2023, while global production capacity is only around one million tons. This discrepancy raises concerns about the use of virgin palm oil mislabeled as waste. The environmental organization Zero, a member of T&E, is calling for stricter certification and investigation into biofuel fraud. Spain, Italy, and Germany are the largest consumers of POME in Europe, while Portugal is taking steps to reduce its reliance on palm oil-based biofuels.