Waste-based feedstocks have overtaken crops in European Union (EU) biodiesel production, according to a report by the European Biodiesel Board (EBB).
Published on 8 June, the EBB’s ‘Statistical Report 2025-2026’ gives an overview of EU biodiesel production, consumption, feedstock use and trade developments.
The report reaffirmed the ongoing importance of crop-based biofuels in Europe’s renewable energy mix, with rapeseed oil remaining the dominant feedstock. However, it also highlighted the growing share of Renewable Energy Directive Annex IX waste-based feedstocks (55%), which was now overtaking crop-based biodiesel (38%) in overall production.
According to the report, total EU-27 production of biodiesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) rose slightly to 14.7M tonnes in 2025.
While fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) maintained its dominant market position at 10.5M tonnes, hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) saw moderate and steady growth to 3.9M tonnes.
Hydro-processed esters and fatty acids (HEFA), a type of SAF, showed the most significant relative expansion, scaling rapidly from negligible levels a few years ago to 0.30M tonnes in 2025, almost doubling year-on-year.
At a time when renewable fuel volumes needed to scale up significantly to meet the EU’s 2030 climate targets, the growth in domestic production was minimal, the EBB said.
Policy uncertainty and regulatory complexity played a key role in this lack of investment, according to the report.
The EBB represents producers using all biodiesel feedstocks: food/feed crops, waste, residues and other biogenic materials.
