Europe’s Biodiesel Feedstock Mix: What the EBB Statistical Report Shows – and What Buyers Should Watch Next

The European Biodiesel Board (EBB) publishes an annual statistical report covering production, consumption, feedstock use, and trade flows for biodiesel, HVO, and bioSAF across the EU. For procurement professionals, traders, and compliance teams working in the European biofuel feedstock market, the report is one of the most reliable aggregated data sources available on how the feedstock mix is actually structured.

This post reviews what the latest EBB data shows about the EU’s biodiesel feedstock mix, adds relevant regulatory context, and draws out the commercial implications for buyers sourcing FAME, UCOME, or HVO or their underlying feedstocks.

EU Biodiesel Production and Demand: The Headline Numbers

EBB member companies represent approximately 65% of EU biodiesel, HVO, and bioSAF output, making the report a robust basis for market analysis.

EU-27 FAME production reached 10.5 million tonnes in 2025, with HVO production at 3.9 million tonnes and HEFA at 0.30 million tonnes. On the consumption side, EU-27 demand for FAME was 12.24 million tonnes, HVO at 3.89 million tonnes, and HEFA at 1.23 million tonnes.

The gap between EU FAME production and consumption – approximately 1.7 million tonnes – reflects ongoing import flows into the EU market, primarily from third countries.

The Main Story: Feedstock Mix and the Waste-Based Shift

The most commercially significant finding in the EBB data is the composition of the feedstock mix used for FAME and HVO consumed in the EU-27.

Waste and residue-based feedstocks classified under Annex IX Parts A and B of the Renewable Energy Directive now account for approximately 53% of the total feedstock volume – the first time waste-based feedstocks have exceeded crop-based inputs on an aggregate basis for the EU market.

The breakdown within that aggregate:

• Rapeseed oil remains the single largest feedstock at approximately 33% of total volume.
• Annex IX Part A(d) feedstocks – primarily animal fats Category 2 and Category 3 – account for around 21% of total volume.
• Used cooking oil (UCO) accounts for approximately 16.5% of total feedstock volume.
• Other waste and residue streams, including food waste oils, acid oils, and tall oil, make up the balance of the Annex IX contribution.

FAME and HVO differ structurally in their feedstock profiles. FAME retains a crop-based share of around 48%, with Annex IX A+B feedstocks at 52%. HVO is far more residue-oriented: crop-based feedstocks account for only 9% of HVO feedstock input, with Annex IX Part A at 36%.

Regulatory Context: RED III and the Union Database

The feedstock data must be read alongside the regulatory framework that is actively reshaping feedstock value. Under RED III, EU member states must by 2030 achieve either a 29% renewable energy share in transport or reduce transport fuel emissions intensity by 14.5%. A 5.5% combined sub-target covers advanced biofuels and renewable hydrogen. Our post on Germany’s renewable fuel targets explains how this translates into national mandate structures.

Annex IX feedstocks – UCO, animal fats, food waste oils, FFA, tall oil – carry a double-counting benefit under RED III: one tonne of Annex IX-derived fuel counts as two tonnes against member state renewable transport targets. This creates a regulatory premium for waste feedstocks that is additive to their energy value.

The Union Database, launched in November 2024, is progressively becoming the central traceability infrastructure for certified biofuel flows in the EU, covering approximately 31,000 certified economic operators.

Additional Market Indicators

Eurostat data for 2024 shows renewable energy accounting for 11.2% of EU transport energy use, up from 10.9% in 2023. This aggregate figure masks significant variation by member state. The pricing implications of this regulatory environment were explored in our post on how high fuel prices and the EU–Mercosur agreement are repricing Europe’s bio-components.

Commercial Implications for Feedstock Buyers

The EBB data reinforces a trend that procurement teams have been navigating for several years: feedstock purchasing in the EU biofuels market is no longer primarily a commodity price exercise. It is a compliance-adjusted procurement process.

• RED eligibility and waste/residue classification: does the feedstock qualify as Annex IX under RED III for the target member state? See our overview of biofuel feedstocks for the product-level detail.
• GHG savings performance: does the feedstock deliver the minimum GHG savings required under RED III (typically 65% for new installations)?
• Chain of custody and certification: is the material certified under an EU-recognised voluntary scheme (ISCC, REDcert, SURE, or equivalent)?
• Technical quality: FFA content, moisture, impurities, contaminants – specification requirements of the FAME or HVO processor.

For background on how feedstock quality translates into biodiesel specification, see our post on what defines biodiesel quality, and for context on the different conversion pathways, see our overview of first and second generation biodiesel.

How Prime Elements Can Help

Prime Elements supplies a range of biofuel feedstocks including used cooking oil (UCO), animal fat Category 2 and Category 3, free fatty acids (FFA), tall oil, food waste oils, and rapeseed oil, as well as processed biofuel products including FAME and UCOME. All materials are supplied with RED III-compliant documentation and ISCC or equivalent certification.

Prime Elements holds German registration under EU Regulation (EC) No. 1069/2009 for trading rendered fats Category 2 and used cooking oil Category 3. See our registration announcement for details. Contact our team to discuss feedstock sourcing and certification requirements.