Biofuels trade and sustainable development: the case of Ecuador’s palm oil biodiesel

Dec 2007

The debate on the advantages and disadvantages of biofuels production began by questioning the conditions in which biofuels were being produced in some countries.
Its effects on the environment and on worker rights, its economic impacts, as well as its possible threat to food security. Therefore it is important to provide decision makers, private and public actors with timely and comprehensive information on the different aspects of production, including trade and sustainable development in the policy discussion.
In the case of Ecuador, the palm oil industry took the lead in producing biodiesel for export. Production is still not very high, but shows potential for the development of a whole new industrial sector.
Palm oil production in Ecuador is currently enjoying a boom in terms of the international price of palm oil. This has led to a decrease in the interest of many local palm industries in the production of biodiesel.
With this background, the following study intends to offer an initial analysis of the production and trade of biodiesel in Ecuador in the light of its impacts on sustainable development, hoping to contribute to policy makers and the private sector involved in this field.

By: M. Amparo Albán, H. Cárdenas (IIED)

 
download this document:   1138 kb
home