The European Commission re-approved the RTRS EU RED technical documents
In 2021, after reviewing and adapting the relevant documents, RTRS applied for and successfully completed the technical process to obtain the recognition of the RTRS biofuel documents (known as the RTRS EU RED), pursuant to the new criteria and scope established by the European Commission’s Renewable Energy Directive 2018/2001 (EU RED).
The EU RED sets out criteria for the import into the European Union (EU) of raw material (as soy), to ensure that biofuel production is sustainable and environmentally friendly. The RTRS certification system was recognized by the EU RED before, at two points in time, in 2011 and 2017; and this year, the European Commission again recognized that the RTRS EU RED technical documents meets the standards of credibility, transparency, independent auditing and appropriate methodological requirements.
Once the re-approval was confirmed, the documents was submitted to internal RTRS governance processes and was approved by the Association’s members by Written Resolution 1-2022.
Thus, the RTRS EU RED module allows organizations, producers and industry to prove that they are in a position to offer soy and soy by-products to the European biofuel market.
Uptake of RTRS certified material for biofuels
Regarding RTRS EU RED Chain of Custody certification, in Brazil, Amaggi stands out for certifying under this scope since 2012, reaching by 2021 certification of a total of 13 storage plants, two processing plants and five ports located in Amazonas, Rondônia, São Paulo and Pará. Also in Brazil, in 2021, Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) obtained EU RED certification for three storage plants and a processing plant in Mato Grosso; a port and transshipment in Pará and a port in São Paulo.
On the demand side, in recent years, there has been a steady increase in the uptake of RTRS EU RED certified soy. In 2018-2021, a total of more than 1,440,0000 tons of RTRS soy were allocated to the biofuel market. In 2019, more than 423,000 tons of EU RED soy were purchased for biofuels, which represented an increase of 156% compared to 2018 (a year in which 165,000 tons were traded). In 2020, an uptake of 506,000 tons was recorded, meaning that there was a 19% increase in demand for this product compared to 2019. Finally, a total volume of 350,000 tons was purchased in 2021.
ADM Germany is among the leading adopters of RTRS EU RED certified material procuring close to 450,000 total tons in 2020 and more than 350,000 tons in 2021.
Having once again received the European Union’s approval of the updated RTRS EU-RED standard biofuel module confirms RTRS’ commitment to biofuels from sustainable sources.
Notes:
- Click here to learn more about RTRS EU RED compliance requirements for producers and chains of custody.
- Access to information on producers, hectares and tons certified against the RTRS Standard for Responsible Soy Production and find out which are certified under the EU RED scope here.
Related communications:
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Round Table on Responsible Soy reaffirms its commitment to biofuels from sustainable sources.
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RTRS certified soy for biofuels: this record uptake shows an evolving market
