The German government has decided to stop promoting palm oil biofuels in Germany, but from 2023 onwards. This means that although an important demand from civil society through petitions is finally met – we believe it is too late and questions remain at open. You need to repair the damage caused over the years by this wrong policy.
“What’s good for the climate shouldn’t harm the environmentGerman Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said in a press release. For this reason, Germany will ban palm oil in car tanks from 2023. Because cutting down forests, drying up wetlands and destroying nature for biofuel is unacceptable, the minister continued.
“Unfortunately, this decision comes too late and leaves doubts”, explains Marianne Klute, president of the association Rettet den Regenwald, Save the Forest in Germany. “Environmental and human rights organizations as well as inhabitants of areas where oil palm is grown – including many indigenous peoples – have been opposed to the deforestation of tropical forests by the oil palm industry for many years.
“The end of the support measures for palm oil has to be implemented more quickly, we cannot wait until 2023” said Feri Irawan of the Indonesian environmental organization Perkumpulan Hijau. “Otherwise there will continue to be numerous conflicts over oil palm plantations.”
Oil palm only grows in areas with high rainfall, close to the equator, that is, in regions covered by tropical forests. The main palm oil producers are Indonesia and Malaysia. To a lesser extent, Africa and Central and South America. It is estimated that there are currently 30 million hectares of oil palm monocultures. In so doing, many people’s old-growth forests, biodiversity and livelihoods have been destroyed, triggering hundreds of conflicts over land and damaging the global climate.
“The German government has repeatedly ignored the various protests, claims and studies presented. Now, point at set a limit and dodge your responsibility “says Klaus Schenk, consultant for forestry and energy issues at Salva la Selva. “Millions of hectares of rainforest have been cut down due to the failed biofuels policy of the German government and the European Union”.
With the announced “elimination” of palm oil from biofuels starting in 2023, the German government is fulfilling one of the main demands that Salva la Selva and organizations in producing countries with which it has tirelessly placed on the table. this cause for many years. Now, the federal government must clarify when and how it intends to remedy the damage caused by this misguided policy of palm oil and biofuels, such as the destruction of tropical forests, the displacement of communities and the loss of their people’s livelihoods and of the native population.
“The situation in oil palm plantations is usually terrible”, says Feri Irawan. “We demand: that companies that received subsidies be accountable and repair once and for all the environmental and social damage they caused, and that they do so immediately.”
Certification and sustainable palm oil failed
German and EU sustainability regulations state that only sustainably produced raw materials can be used for the production of biofuels. Therefore, your certification is mandatory.
To that end, the German government has helped launch and fund certification systems such as the ISCC and the palm oil lobbying association Forum for Sustainable Palm Oil (FONAP). What both have served in our view is to give a ‘green tint’ to palm oil, introducing it as environmentally friendly and promoting the consumption of certified palm oil. This policy would also have failed, as the environment minister’s own words clearly demonstrate.
France has already removed tax breaks for palm oil in 2020, making its destination for biofuel production unprofitable. In July 2021, the French government announced that it would close another loophole for palm oil derivatives. Austria excluded palm oil from biofuels on 1 July 2021.
Amount of palm oil in biofuels
According to FONAP, a total of 1.26mt of palm oil was consumed in Germany in 2019, of which 646,000t in the transport sector, more than half of the palm oil consumed. Another 80,000 tons were burned as biofuel in electricity and heat cogeneration plants. The food industry accounted for 246,500 t, the feed industry 150,200 t, chemical and pharmaceutical products 106,517 t and detergents, cleaning products and cosmetics 29,622 t.
According to the Federal Food and Agriculture Agency (BLE), palm oil constitutes 17.5% (2019) of biofuels consumed in Germany. In the case of biodiesel (FAME), this percentage was 25% and in the case of hydrogenated vegetable oils (HVO – hydrogenated vegetable oils) it was 100%. Consequently, 603,000 t of palm oil was used for biodiesel production and 42,000 t for HVO.
An unquantified part of used palm oil is that contained in waste and waste materials used for the production of biofuels, such as used cooking oil (UCO), which are imported mainly from Asia.
Other points of criticism:
– As it is still possible to use soy oil, it seems likely that palm oil will be replaced by soy oil. This would aggravate the deforestation of tropical forests, in this case in South America.
– As far as is known, the decision does not apply to power plants, including oil palm. The Renewable Energy Law (EEG) promotes and finances the combustion of palm oil as sustainable.
– Used cooking oils, frying oils (OAU), etc., made from palm oil, are still allowed as a feedstock for biofuels. However, it appears that there is massive fraud at the UCO. High demand for UCO means that UCO prices are sometimes higher than crude palm oil prices. This attracts scammers. Crude palm oil is reportedly added in large quantities to frying oils and exported to Europe. This is profitable because biofuels produced from waste and waste are counted twice and promoted.