Whistleblower exposes top biomass producer's empty promises

A biomass industry insider tells Mongabay in exclusive interviews that Enviva, the world’s largest maker of wood pellets for energy, is disingenuous in its green, eco-friendly claims to the public and stockholders. Enviva is the largest maker of wood pellets burned for energy in the world. The company, has from its inception, touted its green credentials. It says it doesn’t use big, whole trees, but only uses wood waste, “tops, limbs, thinnings, and/or low-value smaller trees” in the production of woody biomass burned in former coal power plants in the U.K., EU and Asia. It says it only sources wood from areas where trees will be regrown, and that it doesn’t contribute to deforestation. However, in first-ever interviews with a whistleblower who worked within Enviva plant management, Mongabay contributor Justin Catanoso has been told that all of these Enviva claims are false. In addition, a major recent scientific study finds that Enviva is contributing to deforestation in the U.S. Southeast. Statements by the whistleblower have been confirmed by Mongabay’s own observations at a November 2022 forest clear-cut in North Carolina, and by NGO photo documentation. These findings are especially important now, as the EU considers the future of forest biomass burning as a “sustainable” form of renewable energy. Read the full story- https://news.mongabay.com/2022/12/env... -- Mongabay is a nonprofit environmental science and conservation news platform that produces original reporting in English, Indonesian, Spanish, French, Hindi, and Brazilian Portuguese. Check out https://www.mongabay.com/ Watch more of our videos:    / mongabaytv   Subscribe to our newsletter: http://eepurl.com/cyyIH9 TikTok:   / mongabay   Twitter:   / mongabay   Instagram:   / mongabay   Facebook:   / mongabay