Over 450 international buyers and end-users of ethanol and its co-products from more than 40 countries met in Washington, D.C. in October for Global Ethanol Summit 2025 (GES) to engage with experts from around the world on global ethanol opportunities and connect with industry partners.
Hosted by the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC), and supported by Growth Energy, Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and BASF, GES is a premier biannual industry event that gathers policymakers, ministerial level officials and senior industry leaders, researchers, ethanol producers, traders and industry stakeholders.
GES 2025 featured three themed days during the conference: ethanol is renewable and available, ethanol is compatible and ethanol is affordable.
The conference addressed emerging markets in on-road and off-road applications, ethanol’s contributions to economic and agricultural development, its impact on reduced carbon emissions, robust environments and improved human health, carbon intensity discussions and implementation measures, removing trade restrictions and ethanol use and technological advancements.
In addition to the general sessions, the event featured an industry showcase hall where attendees could interact throughout the conference with businesses and organizations that feature ethanol and biofuel technology.
Before attending GES, the Council organized 12 trade teams to show international buyers and end-users key components of the U.S. ethanol value chain to strengthen trust and understanding in U.S. biofuels. Three trade teams arrived from the Philippines, Vietnam and South Korea in the U.S. before GES and visited corn-growing states during harvest, explored ethanol and distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) production at ethanol plants and viewed terminal facilities in Iowa, North Dakota and Nebraska.
After the event, the remaining nine trade teams built on the knowledge gained at GES by visiting production facilities and farms in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Wisconsin, Michigan, Kansas, South Dakota and Minnesota.
“We are thrilled to have hosted this third edition of Global Ethanol Summit,” Alicia Koch, USGBC director of global ethanol export development said. “Each iteration is an unparalleled opportunity for decision makers and stakeholders in the ethanol value chain to access experts, resources and networking in a curated, concentrated forum – including hands-on experience for our trade teams that are able to interact directly with American agriculture.”