Sustainability Criteria of the Revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED II): Towards Harmonised Criteria and Possible Trade-Offs for Multi-Output Biorefineries

The revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) extends the coverage of binding sustainability criteria from biofuels in transport under the current RED (2009/28/EC) to all bioenergy sectors. Multi-output biorefineries, serve as production facilities to process biomass feedstocks into bioenergy including renewable transport fuels, heat, electricity as well as bio-based materials. They can play a significant role in efficiently reducing GHG emissions and contributing to the climate and renewable energy targets. Because they are embedded in multiple bioeconomy sectors, a harmonised implementation of the new RED II sustainability criteria by EU Member States could therefore be critical for their development. This study aims to identify possible barriers imposed by the implementation of the RED II to the development and sustainability performance of multi-output biorefineries. The study also aims to investigate possibilities for effective and harmonised sustainability criteria and certification for multi-output biorefineries by taking into account possible trade-offs and barriers that could result from harmonisation efforts.