German biodiesel exports reach record high in 2024

Biodiesel exports from Germany rose for the third consecutive year in 2024, exceeding imports by approximately 1.61 million metric tons.

According to information published by the German Federal Statistical Office, they hit a new record of around 3.2 million tons.

The Netherlands, where Rotterdam serves as the most important hub for world trade in biofuels, remained by far Germany’s key trading partner for biodiesel, with shipments increasing 20 percent year-on-year to just over 1.4 million tons.

Exports to Belgium increased 80 percent to 638,300 tons, making Belgium the second-largest recipient of German biodiesel.

By contrast, exports to the U.S. declined 40 percent to 271,900 tons.

According to research by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (mbH), Germany imported 1.6 million tons of biodiesel, a decrease of around 3 percent compared to 2023.

The largest volumes came from the Netherlands, Belgium, Malaysia and Austria.

Notably, imports from Belgium rose 51 percent (approximately 151,000 tons) to 447,400 tons.

Imports from Malaysia increased just under 6 percent.

Most of the allegedly fraudulent imports from China obviously also came via Rotterdam in 2024, as data from the German Federal Statistical Office indicate that China itself delivered only 4,000 tons directly to Germany.

According to the Union zur Förderung von Oel- und Proteinpflanzen e. V. (UFOP), the German greenhouse-gas (GHG) quota policy, the associated competition for GHG efficiency and, in particular, the double-counting of biodiesel based on certain waste oils are the main factors driving this trend, which is characterized by a displacement or shift of commodity flows.

Regarding fuels in German consumers’ vehicle tanks, UFOP said the short formula is used cooking oil methyl ester (UCOME) is squeezing out rapeseed methyl ester (RME).

The physical threshold for replaceability is set by the diesel (B7) standard, which specifies that hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) must be added when the maximum biodiesel volume of 7 percent s reached.

UFOP explained that, given the rising GHG-reduction obligations and continuing decline in diesel consumption, HVO is currently “the only alternative” in the diesel market.

“In light of the absence of a strategy to increase biodiesel consumption in Germany—despite the country’s failure to meet climate-protection targets in the transport sector—the UFOP has pointed out that Germany once again exported a considerable GHG-reduction potential in the transport sector last year, namely 1.61 million tons of RME,” the association stated. “Carriers increasingly owe the duty to their customers to provide proof of their contributions to mitigating climate change. The association has stressed that the switch to pure biodiesel can be implemented immediately and is also the most cost-effective option.”