ATIEL & UEIL Joint Sustainability Committee
processes prefereably are performend in the region from which the waste oil is collected, to avoid compromising emission reduction benefits by additional logostic emissions or additional risks due to multi-modal transportation of waste oil.
Member States are responsible for monitoring, inspecting, and enforcing compliance, imposing penalties for violations, and coordinating enforcement efforts related to waste oil shipments. The EU Commission oversees exports of waste oil to ensure adherence to environmental standards and prevent illegal shipments. To strengthen cooperation and enforcement, a waste shipment enforcement group has been established. Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 takes effect on 21 May 2026.
3.6 Life Cycle Assessment of Waste Oil Management
The European Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) provides explicit guidance for waste oil management, prioritizing the options that yield the best environmental outcome according to the Waste Hierarchy. In the last 20 years, life cycle assessment (LCA) studies have been used to identify the best overall environmental outcome of different waste oil management options. Studies prove that regeneration of waste oil into base oils is the most environmentally favorable treatment option. Notable recent assessments include the 2022 assessment by Institute for Energy and Environmental Research17 Régénération18
and the 2023 report by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre19 3.6.1 IFEU Study (2022)
The IFEU conducted two LCA studies for the GEIR in 2005 (Fehrenbach, 2005) and 2018 (Abdalla & Fehrenbach, 2018). These studies were updated in 2022 (Abdalla, Fehrenbach, Theis, 2022) to incorporate current market technologies and industry advancements, providing a modern perspective on the environmental impacts of waste oil treatment. The IFEU 2022 study20
six companies operating six distinct re-refining plants, representing approximately 50% of the total waste oil treated by regeneration in Europe.
The study applied life cycle analysis to assess the impacts of two alternative scenarios: the substitution of the primary production of base oil from crude oil and the treatment of waste oil into fuel oil which is the most prevalent waste oil management option to regeneration. The findings demonstrate that regeneration of waste oil into base oil is the most environmentally favorable treatment option. It significantly reduces environmental burdens compared to both the primary production of virgin base oil and the treatment of waste oil for fuel. Regeneration offers substantial benefits in terms of resource conservation, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and decreased air pollutants.
for the Groupement Européen de l'Industrie de la .
analyzed
17 IFEU,
https://www.ifeu.de/en/
18 GEIR,
https://www.geir-rerefining.org/publications/final-report-summary-updated-lca-for-regeneration- JRC,
https://commission.europa.eu/about/departments-and-executive-agencies/joint-research- IFEU 2022 Study,
https://www.geir-rerefining.org/publications/final-report-summary-updated-lca-for-
waste-oil-to-base-oil/ 19
centre_en 20
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