ClonBio Group Ltd

EU Legislative Interests

ClonBio Group Ltd. innovates and operates in sectors that concern policies on climate action, energy, nutrition, carbon capture and storage, and agriculture. Clonbio seeks to raise awareness among policy makers of the crisis in EU biofuels stemming from large scale fraudulent imports. The policies targeted relate to the Renewable Energy Directive and in particular the governance of EU Voluntary Schemes, which outside the EU are not supervised and hence are enabling marge scale fraud. We examine certification, trade, and government data to track volumes of biofuels from countries such as Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Singapore and Ukraine, where fraud is known to account for most of the biofuels and biofuels feedstocks originating there. Unfortunately, and despite recognition from the EU Council, the European Commission has not intervened to prevent or slow the flows of fraudulent product. Identifying the Issue: Widespread Biofuels Fraud Clonbio has consistently highlighted the systemic problem of fraudulent biofuels entering EU markets. He states that “a third of the used cooking oil (UCO) is undoubtedly fake—most likely sourced directly from virgin palm oil,” undermining compliance with the Renewable Energy Directive II (RED II) In 2023, 1.8 million tonnes of fraudulent, ISCC‑certified Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) entered Europe, driven by lax verification. In Ireland alone, one‑third of biofuels consumed in 2024 originated from “supply chains widely believed to be fraudulent” Public Advocacy and Stakeholder Mobilisation Through public letters and contributions, Clonbio has rallied European farmers, industry associations (Cope, Cogeca), and Irish bioenergy producers to demand urgent action from EU and national authorities. He supported calls to end double‑counting of waste feedstocks and to fully enforce mass‑balance tracking and sustainability audits Clonbio emphasises that fraudulent imports not only distort EU markets but also harm domestic producers and incentivise deforestation abroad—citing huge soy and palm oil imports masquerading as UCO Proposals for Structural Remedies Clonbio has proposed creating an EU Office for Biofuels Fraud to coordinate detection and response across Member States and called for the suspension of voluntary certifications (e.g., ISCC) for waste‑based bioenergy until traceability is improved Clonbio emphasises that voluntary schemes lack robustness against laundering, and that ISCC certification should be subjects to EU‑mandated scrutiny. Clonbio also backed the EU’s proposal to temporarily suspend recognition of ISCC for waste‑based biofuels, citing serious fraud in UCO and POME supply chains Engagement with Authorities and Freedom of Information Clonbio has pursued transparency through formal Freedom of Information requests to the European Commission, for example, on investigations into fraudulent Indonesia–China UCO supply chains . Repeated delays in responding from Commission services suggest institutional resistance.

Communication Activities

ClonBio Group Ltd. participates in EU and national consultations, events and public discourse in publications such as Euractiv. Ethanol Europe and Pannonia Bio Zrt are names of organisations within the Group. Many media articles in trade and general publications have covered the topic is biofuels fraud, and the need for reform by the European Commission, and Clonbio has been the source of many of these. There has been no formal campaign by Clonbio, so all actions are performed by internal staff when opportunities arise. LinkedIn is a key channel for engaging with stakeholders and James Cogan (Clonbio) has a wide following on this platform.

Interests Represented

Promotes their own interests or the collective interests of their members

Member Of

www.iethanol.eu www.farm-europe.eu Hungarian Biofuel Association www.irbea.ie

Organisation Members

www.pannoniabio.com www.danubecarbon.com

Additional Information

The estimate of annual costs related to activities covered by the register include payroll, travel and event attendance costs, and occasional event and outreach sponsorship.