The RFA is determined to encourage the use of sustainable biofuels. Under the RTFO suppliers are required to report on the carbon emission savings and sustainability of the biofuels they have supplied. Suppliers that do not submit a report are not eligible for RTFO certificates; suppliers can however at this stage report unknown biofuel origins, carbon savings and sustainability, in recognition of the difficulty of obtaining this information in the context of existing supply systems. Reporting 'unknown' will no longer be permissible as the EU's Renewable Energy Directive is introduced with mandatory sustainability criteria. The RFA publishes reports comparing the performance of different suppliers and the biofuels they have supplied, and expect consumers to be interested in using these comparisons to inform purchasing choices.
Fuel suppliers have been given a detailed methodology for calculating the carbon savings of a variety of biofuels and there is a meta-standard approach to sustainability reporting by which fuel suppliers can report and provide evidence that they meet a benchmarked list of existing agro / environmental standards.
For further information on how the RFA is ensuring biofuels come from sustainable sources, please see our Carbon and Sustainability Technical Guidance.
Last Modified: 05 Nov 2009