Catalysing the debate on developing global standards for the production of sustainable biofuels is central to IPIECA’s role. We examined the state of the science, documenting the policies that are being applied by regulators and assessed the implications for the fuels industry. Indirect land-use change (iLUC) is an important and controversial issue—indeed for some stakeholders it is their major biofuels issue. This was a unique opportunity to understand the status of the debate, and for key stakeholders to interact with the United Nations, regulators, NGOs, the fuels industry and the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB) who finalized Version 1 of their Principles and Criteria on Biofuel Sustainability later in the week.

Speakers included representatives from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), regulators from the European Commission and the UK, the RSB, and key scientists and consultants from the USA and Europe.