Sustainable Aviation Fuel 101 with World Fuel Services
What is SAF?
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is a “drop-in” fuel acceptable for use in any aircraft or engine certified for operation with Jet A/A-1. The purest form of SAF, referred to as “neat SAF,” is a synthetic form of jet fuel derived from a sustainable source. The commercial form of SAF is a blend of conventional jet fuel and neat SAF.
Why is SAF so difficult to source?
The demand for SAF is global, but the most effective utilization of SAF is at airports close to the production facilities because transporting SAF from refineries decreases its net carbon impact due to the carbon emitted into the atmosphere from the logistics chain. Currently, significant production is limited to two facilities, one in North America (World Energy-Paramount) and one in Finland (Neste-Porvoo). Production is coming online in the coming years.
Who uses SAF more, commercial or business aviation?
Commercial by volume, but Biz Av by percentage.
No two approaches are the same on the path to net zero.
When can we realistically expect to see full-scale adoption of SAF?
Despite its global popularity and the growing number of companies developing SAF, supply has been very limited. The good news is if all the planned SAF production capacity comes through, anticipated global production could exceed 793m gallons by 2025.
What is World Fuel doing in this space?
World Fuel has been involved in the SAF industry since 2015 and is committed to several long-term supply agreements. To date, we have provided more than 27.2m gallons of SAF to our customers. World Fuel also offers a SAF book and claim solution for the geographic restrictions of SAF. In a book and claim transaction, World Fuel purchases SAF from a producer and decouples the “green attribute,” which is the carbon reduction benefit, from the SAF. World Fuel can attach the green attribute to a Jet A purchase. While not entirely reducing the lifecycle carbon emissions of conventional jet fuel consumed by the buyer, it does allow the buyer to claim the environmental benefits derived from the SAF. The supply of SAF book and claim transactions ties directly to SAF production, which makes the supply very limited.
How does World Fuel work with Kinect?
World Kinect Energy Services is World Fuel’s sustainability and energy management division.
World Fuel is in a unique position because of its in-house expertise provided by World Kinect. They help develop and fulfil comprehensive sustainability solutions all under one roof, offering solutions supporting four key activities:
- Develop a carbon reduction plan
- Reduce energy use
- Source renewable energy, such as SAF and SAF book and claim
- Offset carbon emissions – a bridge to net zero
How sustainable could aviation be with the adoption of SAF?
The short answer is no one knows. One of the most prominent sustainable aviation initiatives currently underway is the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, commonly referred to as CORSIA. CORSIA is a collaboration between the United Nations and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The initiative focuses on supporting government regulations and aviation projects geared towards promoting sustainable aviation. Adopted in 2016, CORSIA targets carbon-neutral CO2 emissions growth in international air travel from a baseline level (2019-2020 average) CORSIA will be implemented in phases starting in 2021, beginning with the Pilot Phase (2021-2023), the First Phase (2024-2026), and the Second Phase (2027-2035).
What are some of World Fuel’s sustainability goals?
We became a signatory to the United Nations (UN) Global Compact and selected UN Sustainable Development Goals to guide our focus in the future. We encourage you to review our annual sustainability report to learn more about our progress towards sustainability.
