Plans to include fuels made from non-renewable materials in the EU’s renewable energy plans could undermine recycling progress, according to a new policy briefing. The policy briefing, entitled ‘Recycled Carbon Fuels in the Renewable Energy Directive’ and produced by Zero Waste Europe (ZWE), Bellona Europa and Rethink Plastic, was released today (16 June) and outlines concerns over the inclusion of ‘Recycled Carbon Fuels’ in the EU’s revised Renewable Energy Directive (REDII).
The REDII establishes a common framework for the promotion of energy from renewable sources in the electricity, heating, cooling and transport sectors for the 2021-2030 period. Recycled Carbon Fuels – liquid or gaseous fuels derived from liquid or solid waste streams of non-renewable origin, which often include plastics, or from waste processing gas and exhaust gas of non-renewable origins – may be used by EU member states as part of renewable targets in the transport sector.
The briefing calls on the European Commission to incorporate the following criteria into its assessment of Recycled Carbon Fuels:
- Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions savings need to be at least 70 per cent compared to fossil fuels;
- GHG accounting related to these fuels must take into account emissions through all stages of the product lifecycle;
- Emissions avoided elsewhere in the system cannot be included in the calculation of GHG emission reductions;
Energy inputs need to be counted in a similar way as electricity and fossil energy inputs are calculated for biofuels - when determining GHG performance;
CO2 reductions should not be counted as abatement twice under the EU Emissions Trading System and the transport - sector; and
- Any potential support to Recycled Carbon Fuels needs to be fully in line with other environmental and climate policies.
Source: Resource
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