Fossil fuel-based products such as discarded plastics will largely end up in landfills, the natural environment or incinerators1, all of which have a significant climate impact through emissions of CO2 and methane. In the past few years, other options for the disposal of plastic waste have come into focus. For example, the thermal processing of fossil plastics via processes such as pyrolysis and gasification results in combustible hydrocarbons that can be further refined into fuels like petrol, diesel, and similar oil products.

In the Renewable Energy Directive (RED), these fuels are recycled carbon or RCFs. However, the limitations of these fuels boil down to their fossil origin and the resulting limited scale of emission reductions they can provide. This short explainer will outline why fossil RCFs need to be regulated by means other than climate policies, such as the RED.

Download the explainer here:

RECYCLING CARBON TO MAKE TRANSPORT FUELS