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Bioenergy has important roles to tackle climate change and lower dependence on fossil fuel use. In addition to other renewables such as solar, wind, and hydropower, bioenergy is needed for transformation of the global energy sector from fossil fuels dominated to renewable and carbon-neutral by the 2050. Bioenergy has been promoted by both national and international policies to increase the share of renewable energy supply. In addition to the increase of modern bioenergy consumption, a large difference between regions with a surplus of biomass and regions with high (renewable) energy demand and limited biomass resources has fostered international biomass trade of solid biomass and liquid biofuels. Although the role of bioenergy in the energy transition is recognised, the growth of modern bioenergy and international bioenergy trade has led to environmental concerns of stakeholders. These include low reduction of GHG emissions; unsustainable forest management; negative impacts on biodiversity, soil, and water. Also social and economic concerns particularly in sourcing countries are addressed by some stakeholder groups. Production and mobilisation of sustainable biomass, particularly in international sourcing countries has not yet been comprehensively investigated. Therefore, certain stakeholder groups consider that only limited sustainable biomass would be available for bioenergy production. To respond to these concerns, linked to policy support for bioenergy, efforts have been made towards sustainable governance of bioenergy through legislation, implementation of voluntary sustainability criteria and certification, and best practices. For example, the Renewable Energy Directive (RED I) established EU wide legally binding sustainability criteria to biofuels and other liquid fuels in 2009. Some national legislations and industrial initiatives in the EU have also implemented a set of sustainability criteria for solid biomass. Since 2018, more comprehensive and additional binding sustainability criteria have been ...

This paper compares national sustainability support schemes and sustainability requirements in four countries that import solid biomass for heat and power generation: Belgium, Denmark, the UK, and the Netherlands. The paper also reviews voluntary certification schemes for solid biomass that may be used to demonstrate sustainability compliance. In the absence of mandatory EU criteria for solid biomass, different national support schemes and sustainability requirements may present barriers to trade. This paper identifies some possibilities for harmonization and provides suggestions for policymakers for the improvement and alignment of national sustainability requirements. Ultimately the paper suggests establishing a harmonized certification scheme in the short term based on legislative requirements in the four countries and in voluntary initiatives. The proposed harmonized certification scheme may also reduce both implementation costs and complexity for biomass suppliers and generators. In the long term, the paper recommends binding criteria on sustainability requirements for solid biomass at EU level.

Abstract Low‐cost sustainable biomass availability in the European Union may not be able to meet increasing demand; exploring the option of importing biomass is therefore imperative for the years to come. This article assesses sustainable biomass export potential from Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia, Kenya, Ukraine, and the United States by applying a number of sustainability criteria. Only biomass types with the highest potential are selected, to take advantage of economies of scale, e.g. pulpwood, wood waste, and residues in the United States, and agricultural residues in Ukraine. This study found that, except for the United States, pellet markets in the sourcing regions are largely undeveloped. The export potential depends strongly on pellet mill capacity and assumed growth rates in the pellet industry. Results show that the United States, Ukraine, Indonesia, and Brazil offer the highest biomass export potential. In the Business As Usual 2030 scenario, up to 204 PJ could potentially be mobilized; in the High Export scenario this could increase to 1423 PJ, with 89% of the potential being available for costs ranging from 6.4 to 15 €/GJ. These potentials meet the European Commission requirements for a 70% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions set in the Renewable Energy Directive. The total export potentials do not reflect the net possible import potentials to the European Union, as biomass could be imported to other countries where there is a demand for it, where less strict sustainability requirements are applied, and which are proximate to the sourcing regions, notably South Korea, Japan, and China. © 2018 The Authors. Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining published by Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley Sons, Ltd.