T&E

NEW: Recycling battery metals could supply up to a quarter of Europe’s electric cars by 2030, cutting its reliance on battery mineral imports. Materials from end-of-life batteries and gigafactory scrap have the potential to build up to 2.4 million EVs locally in 2030, according to a new T&E study. But the EU and the UK will not be able to harness this potential unless they secure recycling projects at risk of being cancelled due to high energy costs, a shortage of technical experience or a lack of finance. It’s time to start treating battery recycling like another clean tech and prioritise it in policy and grant making. The EU’s upcoming proposal for a Circular Economy Act should support the scaling of local recycling factories while also restricting exports of battery waste. Read our new report at the link in our comments.

Today, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a decision to convene a Strategic Dialogue on the Future of the European Automotive Industry to start in January 2025. This is a critical opportunity. The dialogue must focus on how to reach the EU’s goals. Key topics include ways to strengthen EV demand (incentives, corporate fleets), how to support ‘made in Europe’, grids and infrastructure, electricity prices, industrial transformation and corporate car electrification. It should be equally clear what the dialogue is not for. A continued debate about delaying 2035 or removing fines for non-compliance, as the European car lobby (ACEA) wants, creates massive uncertainty and will sabotage the transition carmakers claim they desire.

There is one missing piece to complete the ‘Fit for 55’ puzzle: adopting a delegated act on low-carbon fuels. Today a coalition of civil society is calling on Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen to re-evaluate how the previous proposal deals with so-called ‘blue hydrogen’. It is crucial that a new proposal defines a higher default value to assess the carbon footprint of fossil gas and provides clarity on how to measure and interpret the methane intensity of fossil gas ‘at the level of the producer’. The proposal should also ensure that only products that effectively help Europe reach climate neutrality across their value chains are awarded with a ‘low-carbon’ label. Read the letter ➡️ https://lnkd.in/d9t2V6z6 Environmental Defense Fund Deutsche Umwelthilfe Bellona Europa Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe Sandbag

Our message to the Commission: Stop delaying the phase-out of soy biofuels. 24 NGOs, including T&E, BirdLife Europe and Central Asia, WWF European Policy Office, and Oxfam EU office have called on the European Commission to stop delaying the publishing of the scientific data on the expansion of palm and soy feedstocks into highly biodiverse areas. Soy-based biodiesel emits up to twice as much CO2 as the fossil fuel diesel it is used to replace when taking into account the indirect deforestation it causes. What’s more, between 2015 and 2022, the consumption of soy biodiesel in the EU experienced a fivefold increase, much of which can be attributed to a massive surge of imports from other regions, particularly South America. The EU must immediately phase out palm and soy biofuels from renewable energy targets due to the devastating impact they have on the climate, human living conditions, biodiversity, and energy independence. Read our joint letter now ➡️ https://lnkd.in/d2etYtWF #NotInMyTank

Is the leasing industry really the driver for electromobility in Europe? Think twice! Earlier this week the European leasing association Leaseurope joined forces with the European fuels lobby including FuelsEurope (with notorious members such as ExxonMobil and Eni). Most of these so-called renewable fuels organisations are little more than cover ups to keep drilling oil. In their letter to the European Commission they i) reject any binding EU electrification targets for corporate cars and ii) if any, that “renewable” fuels should be included in the legislation. Is promoting fantasy fuels for cars really the position of the whole leasing industry? I wonder if companies such as Ayvens CA Auto Bank or leasing branches of carmakers Volkswagen Financial Services Leasys Mobilize Financial Services really agree with the position of their European association … . The good news? When a sector fights so fiercely against climate legislation, it’s only a bigger sign and argument for lawmakers to take action. That’s why it’s a good thing that the European Commission has now announced a greening corporate fleets law. As a next step, they should commit to a regulation to be proposed by the end of 2025.  Regulation isn’t the enemy of business as LeaseEurope wants us all to believe. Instead it provides the certainty that business and industry desperately needs to compete in the economy of the future. LeaseEurope seem to be unaware of the massive leaps forward in countries like the UK and Belgium, where the right laws and incentives have seen the corporate market electrifying rapidly and is doing perfectly fine. It’s time to move on from outdated views on EVs and embrace the future. Fleet Europe

How can teams competing in the Women’s Euro 2025 tournament be leaders in sustainable travel this year? Travel Smart Campaign looks back at the Euro 2024 for inspiration 👇

NEW: Fraudulent used cooking oil (UCO) is undermining Europe’s biofuels policy and green energy targets. UCO makes up over a third of EU biofuel consumption. With the vast majority of this being imported, fraud concerns are higher than ever. Certification schemes like ISCC claim full traceability via audits, but they rarely verify the actual sources of the popular feedstock, making the supply chain ripe for fraud. UCO sources, such as restaurants, are only audited if they supply over 5 tonnes of UCO per month - the equivalent of 18 McDonald’s restaurants - an impossible figure. For anything less than that, a self-declaration stating compliance is all that is needed. In the three major UCO-exporting countries (China, Malaysia, Indonesia), T&E found 91% of ISCC-certified UCO collectors were certified without having any UCO sources audited. The EU must stop relying on inadequate certification schemes and recognise the limited role they can play in authenticating biofuel imports. Learn more about how fraudulent used cooking oil is making its way into European green fuels at the link in the comments.

NEW: The car industry will not pay €15 billion in penalties in 2025. The debate on one of the EU’s most important climate regulations is being distorted by bogus claims about high fines. Read the briefing 👇

Affordability will be key to maximise rail travel in Europe, but some of the biggest operators in Europe have high prices which don’t result in better service. ÖBB and Trenitalia offer some of the best price-to-quality ratios in Europe, while Eurostar charges high fares but deliver subpar services. There is growing consensus about the necessity of improving rail services in Europe. It’s now up to operators, Member States and the European Commission to improve reliability, affordability and booking experience. See the full ranking ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e3PVDPzP

The small amounts of SAF purchased by airlines will not compensate for the sector’s emissions growth projected in the coming decades. In 2023, SAF accounted for less than 0.2% of the total jet fuel consumed globally. This share should grow over the next decade as green fuels laws in the EU and UK kick in. But until a European industrial strategy for e-kerosene is developed, the supply of SAF will not be adequate for airlines to meet their net-zero goals. Explore our SAF Observatory to see which airlines are leading the way ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e7AQyJUZ