The Union Database for Biofuels (UDB) is the digital platform launched by the European Commission to track the entire lifecycle of biofuels. Prior to its official implementation in mid-January 2024, the traceability of Used Cooking Oil (UCO) was compromised due to fraudulent practices, such as the mislabelling of virgin oils or the double counting of volumes.
A flawed certification process based on isolated documentation, decentralised systems that prevented regulatory interconnection between countries, inaccuracies when verifying the actual origin of the waste oil—meaning it was unclear whether it came from a hotel or a school canteen, for instance—and, finally, deficient import controls made it impossible to provide a legitimate, validated report on the product’s end-to-end journey.
In this regard, the UDB functions as a digital passport that tracks every batch of fuel and feedstock. It helps prevent double counting and false labelling; however, this major step towards curbing fraud also presents flaws, particularly in cases where UCO arrives in Europe from countries where double labelling and documentary fraud remain recurrent practices.
The current challenges facing the EU include:
Detecting fraud at source: If the oil is adulterated or blended (for example, with palm oil) before entering the IT system, the UDB will record flawless data for a product that is already fraudulent.
Accelerating the transition: While the full mandatory status of the system continues to consolidate, the coexistence with legacy registration methods creates loopholes that fraudsters exploit.
Achieving greater interconnection: It remains a technical challenge to link the UDB in real time with the national databases of each EU member state and private voluntary schemes to prevent data duplication.
Improving alerts to detect impossible volumes: Europe imports quantities of used oil that exceed the actual physical production capacity of the countries of origin.
Increasing chemical analysis: The UDB is a digital registry (paperwork). If the paperwork matches but the container’s content is adulterated, the system fails; therefore, it must be mandatorily combined with laboratory testing.
To achieve its ambitious decarbonisation targets, Europe must be ruthless and shield the traceability of used cooking oil. Failing to do so will result in a total loss of climate credibility.
Any oil that cannot unequivocally prove its origin will be expelled from the energy sector or heavily penalised. Verified oil, on the other hand, will become the liquid gold of the green transition.
At IBERO WASTE, as a company dedicated to the collection, transport, storage, and commercialisation of Used Cooking Oil (UCO), the tightening of UDB controls shapes our daily operations—from mandatory, real-time digital registration at the exact point of collection to the imposition of strict controls on our intermediaries.
The rigour of our protocols has delivered optimal results and the successful passing of all audits.
