Podcast episodes

Politicians often take a one-sided view of the energy transition and make decisions that are far from reality. Claus Sauter founder and CEO of a leading German bioenergy company reveals political inability and shows viable alternatives - his arguments are #strawclever.

[Original audio in German only. Please find here the English transcriptions.]

#strohklug | RED III in Germany: Fair Play for Biofuels
NO. 15 | OCTOBER 2025
The third version of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) is about to be implemented in Germany. In the latest episode of his podcast #strohklug, Verbio’s CEO Claus Sauter and board member Stefan Schreiber, who is also President of the Association of the German Biofuel Industry, examine the…
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A national approval procedure to prevent future fraud
NO. 14 | DECEMBER 2024
In this podcast episode of #strohklug, Claus Sauter takes a critical look at the effects of climate fraud and the (inadequate) political measures surrounding biofuel fraud - together with his guest Stefan Schreiber, the Verbio board member responsible for regulation and president of the Association…
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Chinese imports torpedo German climate protection
NO. 13 | JUNE 2024
In the most recent episode of the #StrawClever podcast, Verbio’s Chief Executive Officer talks about the fatal consequences of the fraud involving allegedly climate-friendly products and projects for the German economy and German consumers. In particular, China is playing a false hand. Listen in to…
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A matter of honour: Bioenergy strengthens the agricultural sector
NO. 12 | NOVEMBER 2023
Poor harvests, lower quality crops due to weather conditions, and the threat of financial losses for farmers: this sounds like a crisis, but it is not, because products that are not allowed in bread and which are not suitable for use as animal feed can still be processed. Biorefineries can process…
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Germany’s new Diesel Scandal
NO. 11 | AUGUST 2023
China is flooding the German market with huge amounts of palm oil-based biodiesel that is simply being relabeled as advanced sustainable biofuel. Claus Sauter, energy expert and CEO of VERBIO, and other industry experts share this suspicion. The German regulatory authorities have so far been just…
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A tour of South America with Robert Habeck and Cem Özdemir
No. 10 | April 2023
Valuable discussions, interesting new impressions and little sleep - this is how Claus Sauter, energy expert and CEO of VERBIO SE, sums up his trip to South America with the Minister of Economics and Energy, Dr. Robert Habeck, and the Federal Minister of Agriculture, Cem Özdemir. In an interview…
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Too late for a smart solution to the energy crisis – we are running out of time!
No. 9 | December 2022
What about energy supply and energy security in Germany? What challenges have industry and private households to face in the new year? Claus Sauter, energy expert and CEO of VERBIO SE, explains how a lack of political decision-making power and the German culture of prohibition maneuvered the country…
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From zero to “SDAX” in 15 years: VERBIO celebrates the fifteenth anniversary of its stock exchange listing
No. 8 | October 2021
VERBIO SE celebrates its IPO anniversary. On October 16, 2006 today's leading European bioenergy producer went public. The share has been listed in the mid-cap index SDAX at German stock market since December 2020; the enterprise value has increased approximately fivefold within twelve months. The…
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