Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is seen as one of the most promising short-term solutions for decarbonizing the aviation sector, which currently accounts for 2-3% of manmade emissions globally. This is because as a “drop-in fuel”, SAF can be mixed with fossil kerosene and used in existing aircraft engines and infrastructure. Despite the significant decrease in air travel in 2020 due to COVID-19, it is expected that air traffic, including business travel, will recover rapidly.1
Currently, SAF is two to five times more expensive than fossil kerosene, making it difficult to generate the demand and supply needed to scale up this industry. Breaking through this “chicken-and-egg” situation is essential for accelerating SAF production and playing part in solving aviation’s biggest challenge: decarbonizing.
To address this, the World Economic Forum’s Clean Skies for Tomorrow (CST) initiative recently published a white paper introducing a Sustainable Aviation Fuel Certificate (SAFc) framework, with the collaboration of various partners, including SkyNRG, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Deloitte, Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL) and Microsoft.
What is SAFc?
SAFc aims to boost SAF supply through consumer demand by allowing companies and other organizations to cover SAF’s price premium. In this framework, physical SAF is separated from its emission reduction benefits so that the fuel purchased is delivered to the nearest airport. As a result, the SAFc buyer can claim higher sustainability benefits faster, for a cheaper price, and do so within a globally recognized accounting and reporting system.
Why does it matter?
In recent years, more and more companies have expressed their willingness to pay for the emission reductions provided through SAF.2 The SAFc framework facilitates this in-sector reduction of corporations’ scope 3 emissions from business travel and air cargo, and airlines’ scope 1 emissions. Consequently, organizations benefiting from air transport can support aviation’s pathway to net-zero emissions while also reducing their own.
How is SkyNRG involved?
SkyNRG played a key role in developing the framework by providing expertise from the adoption of a book-and-claim system in its corporate program, and from its knowledge of SAF supply and distribution. In the next phases, SkyNRG will continue to play a lead role when testing the concept with pilot participants, supplying SAF, and finalizing the framework along with CST partners.
Interested in learning more about the framework? Read or download the full white paper here.
If you are a WEF member and would like to participate in the pilot, or you want to learn more about how Board Now can help you reduce your scope 3 emissions from air travel, feel free to reach out to us at info@boardnow.org.
_____________________________________________
2 GBTA: https://ftnnews.com/images/stories/documents/2021/2020_GBTA_Global_BTI-FINAL.pdf