Sustainability requirements of EU and US biomass regulatory frameworks

What are the main sustainability requirements imposed by the regulatory framework for biofuels, biomass for energy purposes and illegal wood in the European Union (EU) and the United States of America (US)? That is the central question of a report recently published by the Netherlands Programmes Sustainable Biomass of NL Agency.

Its main conclusion is that EU and US biofuel legislative frameworks are incomparable looking at the overall structure, definitions used, sustainability requirements, reporting methodology and reporting requirements. This means biomass producers exporting to both the EU and the US should investigate the requirements of both legal frameworks.

Furthermore, the report concludes that exporting biomass or biofuels to the EU is easier than to the US, due to additional administrative and reporting requirements. A third conclusion is that solid biomass for energy purposes, exported to the EU and the US, is confronted with additional sustainability requirements in legislation to prevent illegal logging. Biomass and biofuel producers using solid biomass therefore should  therefore pay extra attention to the additional sustainability requirements.

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• Report EU and US biomass legislation - Partners for Innovation