Japanese sustainability standards for biofuels published

One of the visions of a Japanese version of sustainability standards for biofuels by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is for acceptable biofuels to prove in life cycle assessments 50% lower carbon dioxide emissions than gasoline. The level is the same as that put into practice this year in the U.K. and which the European Union is considering enforcing after 2017. The standards are aimed at preventing potential repercussions on the environment from the
introduction, use and development of biofuels. The ministry said that only biofuels made from Brazil-originated sugarcane grown on existing farmland, and some of Japan’s beet production and wood scraps from construction sites can meet its 50%-reduction requirement at this stage, indicating a limit on the expansion of biofuel imports from Brazil. (March 10, 2010)