European biotech industry sets the record
straight on biofuels and outlines contribution of biotech to a
low-carbon society
Brussels, 13 March 2008: Today at a press briefing held at World
Biofuels Markets in Brussels, the biotech industry set the record
straight on biofuels and showed how biotechnology can contribute to a
low-carbon society by helping to deliver sustainable, secure and
competitive energy (1).
“To move towards a future with the needed greenhouse gas (GHG) savings
and energy security, every solution is important. Biofuels contribute in
realizing these solutions, but it is important that the emerging
biofuels sector be built on sound sustainability principles” said
Kirsten Birkegaard Staer, Chair of EuropaBio’s Biofuels Task Force.
EuropaBio’s pillars of sustainability include:
1) The development of a credible and robust certification scheme on an
EU or global basis to guarantee that biofuels are produced in an
environmentally sustainable way.
2) The development of sustainability criteria for the biomass used for
biofuel production as well as for all (energy) applications
3) The insistence that the use of biomass for fuel purposes should not
jeopardize European and third countries’ ability to secure its people’s
food supply, nor should it prevent protecting forests, preventing soil
degradation and keeping a good ecological status of waters.
4) The support of a threshold value for greenhouse gas (GHG) savings,
restrictions on land use to avoid major reduction in carbon stocks and
biodiversity loss from land use change.
It is the opinion of EuropaBio that the GHG savings threshold should be
set at a level which would allow current technologies and production
processes to be used as it is important that a market for biofuel is
established as soon as possible in order to attract the necessary
investments and to establish the infrastructure (production and
logistics) in Europe. At the same time EuropaBio would like to underline
the importance of keeping encouraging technological development for
increasingly eco-friendly biofuels. As an important measure in order to
stimulate the transition towards biofuels with higher GHG savings
EuropaBio proposes a “stepwise approach” starting with a relatively low
GHG savings threshold and increasing in time, or a system where a
moderate threshold could be set as basis, coupled with an
“incentivisation system” rewarding additional GHG savings.
“EuropaBio strongly supports the development of sustainability criteria
for biofuels,” said Johan Vanhemelrijck, Secretary General of EuropaBio.
“However, it is very important that sustainability criteria are
technology-neutral, transparent, and based on scientific evidence and on
clear definitions.”
Notes to Editors:
(1) EuropaBio Biofuels factsheets can be found at:
http://www.europabio.org/Biofuels/Biofuels_about.htm
EuropaBio’s biofuels brochure and factsheets cover the following topics:
1) EuropaBio Biofuels brochure: Biotechnology: Making biofuels
sustainable
2) EuropaBio Factsheet: Biofuels and land use
3) EuropaBio Factsheet: Biofuels and developing countries
4) EuropaBio Factsheet: Biofuels and food
5) EuropaBio Factsheet: Biofuels: Environmental sustainability criteria
For further information about EuropaBio please contact:
Dirk Carrez Tel: +32 2 735 0313 Mobile:+32 473 73 65 28
Email: d.carrez@europabio.org
Rebecca Weaver Tel: +32 2 735 0313 Direct: +32 2 739 1184 Mobile: +32
477 650 473
Email: r.weaver@europabio.org
About EuropaBio
EuropaBio's mission is to promote an innovative and dynamic
biotechnology-based industry in Europe. EuropaBio, (the European
Association for Bioindustries), has 80 corporate and 3 associate members
operating worldwide, 5 Bioregions and 25 national biotechnology
associations representing some 1800 small and medium sized enterprises.
More information on:
www.europabio.org
