{"id":22896,"date":"2023-12-06T09:47:12","date_gmt":"2023-12-06T14:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=22896"},"modified":"2025-03-12T14:34:27","modified_gmt":"2025-03-12T18:34:27","slug":"how-a-new-carbon-certificate-registry-could-jump-start-global-production-of-sustainable-aviation-fuels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2023\/12\/06\/how-a-new-carbon-certificate-registry-could-jump-start-global-production-of-sustainable-aviation-fuels\/","title":{"rendered":"How a new carbon certificate registry could jump-start global production of sustainable aviation fuels"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

By Istvan Bart<\/a>, Climate Director<\/em><\/p>\n

Last week, Virgin Atlantic became the first commercial airline to fly<\/a> across the Atlantic ocean using 100% sustainable aviation fuels , demonstrating the incredible potential of clean, alternative fuels for flight. We need more planes flying on SAF, because if aviation were a country, it would be one of the world\u2019s top 10 sources of greenhouse gas pollution.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I\u2019m so excited about an innovative new tool<\/a> that EDF is launching today at COP28 with RMI and the Sustainable Aviation Buyers\u2019 Alliance \u2014 a registry that supports corporations working to reduce their aviation footprints by purchasing sustainable aviation fuel certificates, or SAFc, with a consistent, transparent and verifiable record to enable credible climate disclosure. SAFc is a critical tool to connect aviation customers with SAF producers who need fresh investments to scale up SAF production, and the registry is a critical piece of infrastructure to give SAFc users confidence in this mechanism.<\/p>\nHow a new carbon certificate registry could jump-start global production of sustainable aviation fuels <\/a><\/span>Share on X<\/a><\/span>\n

The moment is right since so many corporations all over the world are working hard to reduce their carbon footprints \u2014 and looking for new approaches. Because business travel and air freight can be difficult to reduce, many companies purchase carbon credits to offset their emissions. Until recently, cutting back on travel and purchasing high-integrity carbon credits were the best and most accessible options for companies seeking to reduce their travel emissions.<\/p>\n

Now, sustainable aviation fuel certificates offer companies who are serious about reducing their travel emissions a new tool to reduce greenhouse gas levels. Enabling new levels of investment in high-integrity SAF, SABA has been working for the past two years to develop the SAF certificate mechanism and facilitate joint procurement efforts to help companies help our planet. The SAFc Registry will bring further rigor and confidence to all aviation customers\u2019, airlines\u2019 and fuel providers\u2019 existing procurement efforts by ensuring that contracted SAF was produced and delivered with certified sustainability attributes. With the registry, corporations can be certain that every gallon of SAF they have invested in was used in a plane to replace fossil jet fuel.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The focus on high-integrity SAF is critical because when SAF is produced with high environmental integrity \u2014 rather than relying on raw materials and pathways that can cause deforestation and harm the planet \u2014 it can significantly reduce aviation\u2019s climate impact.<\/p>\n

Because SAF production is still scaling up, current supplies are only available at a few dozen airports. But corporations that are interested in using SAF are spread all over the world, and many would never purchase physical fuel. This mismatch hampers the scaling up of SAF \u2014 a problem that SAF certificates solve. Taking a page from the renewable energy certificates<\/a> policy playbook, SAF certificates unbundle the emission reductions from the fuel itself.\u00a0That means companies and airlines that are nowhere near a real-life SAF refinery can support the growth of SAF by buying SAF certificates today.<\/p>\n

Managing a SAF certificate system requires robust bookkeeping, including the tracking of specific emission reductions realized by using a particular batch of SAF, ensuring that only one SAF certificate is issued for each ton of SAF. It\u2019s also important to have a reliable and publicly accessible record of the retirements of SAF certificates, so the public can verify the emissions reduction claims made in corporate sustainability reports.\u00a0This is the work of registries.<\/p>\n

Even though high-integrity SAF is plays a critical role in decarbonizing aviation, it has accounted<\/a> for only around 0.1% of all fuel used in aviation in 2022. This underlines the need for rapidly generating more demand for SAF, and this is precisely what SAF certificates can do by allowing aviation customers to participate in the SAF market through the use of SAF certificates.<\/p>\n

Building on the experience of other fledgling registries<\/a>, the comprehensive new SAFc Registry is designed to meet the specific needs of corporations seeking to reduce their aviation footprints. The SAFc registry is independent, transparent, reliable, science-based \u2014 and it offers three key features that no other registry can match:<\/p>\n