POME oil goes to the same European hydrotreaters and biodiesel producers that buy used cooking oil, and it competes for the same processing slots. What makes it a different trade is the classification: POME oil sits on the Annex IX Part A list, which is where its value comes from, and that is exactly why the documentation behind it is scrutinised more heavily than for almost any other feedstock.
- 1Collection or rendering
- 2Pretreatment
- 3Certified trade
- 4Producer: HVO, SAF or FAME
- 5Fuel in the tank
The value is created at step three: without the certification the same molecule is worth what tallow was worth twenty years ago.
The buyers are the refiners, and the route is the same as UCO
Read this first: this is a market map built from public sources, not a client list. Naming a company here says nothing about whether we work with them, and we do not claim to represent any of them. It exists because "who actually buys this" is the question we are asked most often, and there is no honest public answer to it anywhere. POME oil is hydrotreated into renewable diesel and jet, which means the buyer list overlaps almost entirely with used cooking oil. Neste states that wastes and residues from vegetable oil processing are among its top three waste and residue categories, alongside used cooking oil and animal fat waste. Eni's Italian biofuel production runs primarily on waste and residues. The renewable capacity in Spain, Sweden and France takes lipid feedstocks of this type.
The practical consequence is that POME is not competing with palm oil for a buyer; it is competing with UCO and animal fat for a pretreatment slot. That is the frame to hold when you think about where your parcel sits.
Annex IX Part A is where the value is, and where the scrutiny is
POME oil is included on the Annex IX Part A feedstock list, and that letter is the whole commercial argument. Part A material sits under a different sub-target than Part B, which is why a buyer can pay differently for it.
It is also why nothing gets looked at harder. Import volumes of POME-based biofuel into the EU have been discussed at Energy Council level, and the regulatory position has been described by price reporting agencies as a source of uncertainty in the trade. If you are offering POME oil, expect the certification and traceability to be examined line by line, and treat that as normal rather than as distrust of you specifically.
POME oil, SBEO and SSAO are not the same thing
Three products travel under names that get used loosely, and mixing them up in an offer is the fastest way to lose credibility with a buyer who knows the difference. The distinction is set out in full on our POME page, but in short: POME oil is recovered from mill effluent, spent bleaching earth oil is recovered from the clay used in refining, and soapstock acid oil comes from the splitting of soapstock. They have different chains, different classifications and different buyers.
There is now a published price reference
Fastmarkets launched a crude palm oil mill effluent assessment on a CIF Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp basis in 2026. That matters for a seller in a practical way: buyers increasingly quote against a published reference rather than negotiating a flat number, and an offer that ignores the reference reads as uninformed. We do not publish price assessments ourselves and we do not quote levels on this site.
What a European buyer will ask you
- Which mills, and whether the chain from mill to vessel is certified end to end. A certified aggregator buying from uncertified mills does not produce certified material.
- The classification, with evidence rather than assertion.
- A recent analysis, with sampling basis and methods named.
- Monthly volume and duration. POME buyers are sizing a slot, not a cargo.
- Whether you can hold a quote, and for how long, against a moving reference.
A note on accuracy
Everything above is drawn from what companies have published about their own operations, from trade association material and from price reporting agencies. Capacity gets delayed, projects get cancelled and feedstock slates change with the spread, so treat this as a map of the landscape rather than a live position. Where a name appears, it is because that company has said publicly what it does, not because we have any relationship with them.
If something here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will correct it. We would rather be corrected than repeat something that costs someone a week.
Frequently asked questions
Who buys POME oil in Europe?
The same hydrotreaters and biodiesel producers that buy used cooking oil. Neste lists wastes and residues from vegetable oil processing among its top three waste categories; Eni's Italian biofuel production runs primarily on waste and residues; renewable capacity in Spain, Sweden and France takes the same lipid feedstocks.
Is POME oil Annex IX Part A?
Yes, POME oil is included on the Part A list, and that classification is where its value comes from. It is also the reason the documentation gets examined more closely than for most other feedstocks.
Why is POME scrutinised more than other feedstocks?
Because the volume of POME-based biofuel imported into the EU grew quickly and has been discussed at Energy Council level, and because Part A status makes it worth misdeclaring. Expect the certification chain to be checked thoroughly. If your chain is clean this is an advantage, not a problem.
What is the difference between POME oil, SBEO and SSAO?
Different origins in the palm chain: POME oil from mill effluent, spent bleaching earth oil from the clay used in refining, and soapstock acid oil from splitting soapstock. Different classifications and different buyers. Our POME page sets the three out in full.
Is there a price reference for POME?
Fastmarkets launched a crude POME assessment on a CIF ARA basis in 2026. We do not publish price assessments and do not quote levels here; buyers who need a reference subscribe to one.
Can I sell POME oil without certification?
Into the fuel obligation, no. Without a complete certified chain the material is not usable for the purpose that gives it its value, and the Part A argument disappears entirely.
Market news
Recent headlines from across the feedstock and renewable fuel sector. Nothing specific to this market has come through the wires lately, so this is the wider view. The links go to the publisher; we do not host or edit their reporting, and a headline here is not our endorsement of it. Scroll for more.
- Call for papers on AI for circular economy: Intelligent algorithms for sustainable resource recovery
- NEDO, Kyoto University build world’s first hydrogen beamline at SPring-8-II
- Air Products and Nobian sign long-term agreement for RFNBO-compliant hydrogen
- Romania’s Senate approves green hydrogen law
- Namibia pioneers Africa’s first green hydrogen facility
- Hamburg starts building hydrogen connector for HH-WIN network
- Commercial use of green hydrogen gets under way in Czechia
- Kawasaki Heavy starts Kawasaki hydrogen plant with 18-ton daily capacity
- The Navy, Amyris, Emvolon, Haffner Energy and the Incredible Shrinking Refinery
- ICM supplying processing tech for Atvos’ Brazilian corn ethanol production plant
- Outage at South Africa’s Natref refinery
- Australian Government releases national maritime emissions reduction plan
- Circularity Communicated Conference 2026
- Circular fashion: Design, science and value in a sustainable clothing industry
- nova-Institute hosts the chemical industry defossilisation summit
- Quick Scan Circular Business Models
- Rubbermaid Brilliance line expands with Eastman’s Tritan Renew
- New ABC data reveals how America’s biogas is used today
18 headlines, updated automatically. Last refreshed .
Sources and further reading
Primary sources for the rules and figures on this page, so you can check them yourself. Legislation is amended: always read the consolidated text on the date that matters to you.
Who to ask about Who buys POME
Just ask. Offering POME oil into Europe? Send the mill origin, the monthly volume, the certification and a recent analysis. We will tell you plainly whether it will clear a European buyer's desk. You get Bart van den Brug on the other end, same working day, in English or Dutch, and across the team also in French, Portuguese, Polish, Czech and Russian.
On how we work: on the feedstocks and fuels on this site we are a broker. We never take title, we do not trade our own book, and we are paid a commission on business that concludes. Additives are the one exception: those we also buy and sell for our own account, and we say in which capacity we are acting before you commit to anything. Either way you will hear it from us when the answer is no, or when your parcel is not ready for the conversation you want to have. A market read or a second opinion on a specification costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Happy to look at whatever you have, even if it is half an analysis and a question.
+31 6 115 83 448
bart@sustainablecommodities.eu
Sustainable Commodities 3 B.V., Lemmer, the Netherlands
Ask about Who buys POME
A direct line to the desk. We answer the same working day in almost all cases, and we will tell you plainly when a cargo is not something we can place.
Prefer email? bart@sustainablecommodities.eu · +31 6 115 83 448
Last reviewed 02 September 2026. Regulatory references are given for orientation and are not legal advice: verify against the current Official Journal text before contracting.