HAMBURG, Germany -- A loose alliance of German biofuel manufacturers, environmentalists and lawmakers is pressuring the government to stem the inflow of palm-oil-tainted biofuel from China and calling for the establishment of an effective inspection and sanction regime to oversee Chinese biofuel plants by Jan. 1.
European Union rules require the oil industry to meet defined greenhouse gas reduction quotas and offers options for achieving this, including allowing them to blend mineral fuels with biofuels. As the use of palm oil in biofuel production has in effect been banned in Germany and most other EU member states since 2023, imports of used fats and cooking oils from China as an alternative blending fuel have soared from late 2022.
