How Higher Biofuel Blending Brings Us Closer to Climate Targets

• Effective climate action in transport: Sustainable biofuels already deliver the largest share of CO₂ reductions in Austria’s transport sector.
• Untapped potential: The current 7% biodiesel blending limit restricts emissions reductions, domestic production, and energy security.
• B10 as a ready-to-use solution: Increasing the blend to 10% biodiesel delivers immediate greenhouse gas savings.

Transport-related emissions in Europe and Austria remain high. At the same time, it is becoming increasingly clear that electrification alone will not be sufficient to achieve the necessary CO₂ reductions in the short term. Anyone serious about replacing fossil fuels must rely on solutions that are available now and work within existing systems.

Biofuels as a cornerstone of emissions reduction

Sustainable biofuels play a central role in this context. They already make a substantial contribution to decarbonizing transport: in Austria alone, their use reduces CO₂ emissions by more than 1.6 million tons every year.

“We always say: complement rather than replace,” emphasizes Ewald-Marco Münzer. “The government’s status report on biofuels clearly shows that over the past 20 years, since biofuels have been blended into fossil fuels in Austria, around 30 million tons of CO₂ have already been avoided. That makes biofuels not just a transitional solution, but a viable model for the future.”

Beyond climate protection, biofuels strengthen energy security and reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports. Yet much of their potential remains untapped. Austria’s current biodiesel blending limit of 7% (B7) is highly conservative and prevents domestic biodiesel production capacities from being fully utilized. This creates structural disadvantages for producers and results in lower emissions reductions than what is technically and practically achievable.

Sustainable, waste-based biodiesel is a proven solution. Produced within the EU, it is immediately available and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90% compared to fossil diesel. As the most cost-effective option for displacing fossil diesel, it can be used in all diesel vehicles without technical modifications or new infrastructure.

B10: A proven solution for the existing vehicle fleet

At present, diesel fuel in Austria is limited to a maximum biodiesel content of 7%. Increasing this share to 10% (B10) may seem modest, but it would immediately raise the renewable content of fuel and significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions per liter.

Other countries have already taken this step. France and Portugal have long implemented higher blends such as B10 or B15, while Germany and Ireland introduced B10 at the beginning of 2024. Beyond Europe, South American countries have been operating blends of B20 or B30 for years.

Raising the blending limit to B10 would provide Austria with an immediately effective and well-established lever to reduce transport emissions. Production capacity is available, vehicles are compatible, and the technology is already in use. What exists, therefore, is a pragmatic and direct way to deliver climate action in transport—without delay and without detours.