• Why does Germany use palm oil for bioenergy?
  • Especially when it comes to the use of palm oil for bioenergy, Germany difers massively from the global ave-rage (5% worldwide). The primary reasons for the high share of palm oil in Germany are the biofuel sector and the market introduction of hydrot-reated vegetable oils (HVO).
  • Why is palm oil so popular in Germany?
  • The primary reasons for the high share of palm oil in Germany are the biofuel sector and the market introduction of hydrot-reated vegetable oils (HVO). The 509,000 tonnes of oil imported in 2013 to this end consisted exclusively of palm oil. The substitution of palm oil in industrial applications is technically dificult.
  • How much palm oil reaches Germany?
  • A total of 1.82 million tonnes of palm oil reaches Germany if all import pathways are considered, i.e. direct imports, net imports via European ports such as Rotterdam, and palm oil contained in imported processed products.
  • Why is palm oil a problem in Germany?
  • Unfortunately the international palm oil market is still characterised by a high level of intransparency. Moreover, the bulk of the palm oil produced worldwide does not even meet minimum social and ecological standards. Therefore, palm oil imported to Germany is also associated with the destruction of rainforests and with human rights violations.
  • Can Germany use palm oil as a biofuel?
  • To date only the EU Renewable Energy Directive contains minimum ecologi-cal criteria for using palm oil in the bioenergy sector. Furthermore, the German Federal Government should work towards putting a halt to the use of palm oil as a biofuel and strive for consistent reductions in energy consumption.
  • Could palm oil be freed up in Germany?
  • The 1.82 million tonnes of palm oil used in Germany in 2013 occupy 397,781 ha of cropland primarily in the producer countries Malaysia and Indonesia, but also in Papua New Guinea, Latin America and Africa. This area could be ?freed up¡° if in Germany palm oil was to be replaced with other vegetable oils.