Introduction

COVID-19 has significantly impacted civil aviation, reducing passenger demand and increasing the focus on cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This presents an opportunity for the aviation industry to commit to a net-zero climate impact by 2050. SAF, derived from renewable sources, offers a viable path for rapid decarbonisation, provided it meets high environmental integrity standards.

Part A: Introduction to sustainable aviation fuels

What is sustainable aviation fuel?

SAF is produced from renewable sources or waste feedstocks, certified for safe use in aircraft. It reduces GHG emissions compared to conventional fuels and meets sustainability criteria. As of 2019, over 180,000 commercial flights have used SAF.

Future deployment of SAF

SAF can achieve significant emission reductions. Replacing 100% of international aviation fuel with SAF could reduce CO2 emissions by 10 Gt through 2050. However, achieving this requires overcoming cost and availability barriers, and ensuring robust sustainability frameworks.

Current SAF policy landscape

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has developed the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) to cap net CO2 emissions. National policies, such as the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) in the US and the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), provide economic incentives for SAF production.

Market penetration and barriers

In 2019, SAF production was less than 0.1% of total jet fuel use. Barriers include technology maturity, higher costs compared to conventional fuel, and limited production capacity. Policy developments and strong demand signals from end-customers can help overcome these barriers.

Lessons learned to safeguard environmental integrity of SAF claims

Existing policies often fail to assess and safeguard the environmental integrity of fuels. SAF must be produced with a life-cycle assessment approach, meet stringent sustainability criteria, and avoid double counting to ensure real emissions reductions.

Part B: Guidance for high-integrity SAF

Requirements for SAF

SAF must deliver real emissions reductions, meet high sustainability standards, and avoid double counting. Recommendations include applying a life-cycle assessment approach to prevent indirect land-use change emissions and ensuring sustainability certification for the entire supply chain.

Avoiding double claiming

Measures must be in place to prevent double issuance, double use, and double claiming of emissions reductions. This is crucial to ensure that SAF’s climate benefits are accurately accounted for and not overstated.

Part C: Guidance for governments for avoiding double claiming

Governments need to implement robust accounting and reporting systems to avoid double counting of emissions reductions from SAF. This includes aligning national policies with international frameworks like CORSIA and ensuring transparent emissions reporting.

Part D: SAF premium and the corresponding emissions reduction cost

The cost of SAF varies depending on existing policy incentives. For example, the SAF premium in California before the Inflation Reduction Act was at least $56/tCO2. Transparent premium structures are essential to ensure the economic viability of SAF while maintaining environmental integrity.

Conclusions and recommendations

The handbook provides a comprehensive framework to deploy SAF with environmental integrity, avoiding double counting, and transparent premiums. Implementing these guidelines can accelerate the transition to net-zero aviation, benefiting the climate and public health.

Key recommendations include adopting robust carbon accounting methods, ensuring sustainability certification across the SAF supply chain, and developing transparent systems to prevent double counting of emissions reductions. Additionally, policies should support the economic viability of SAF through appropriate incentives and regulatory frameworks.