Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) can significantly reduce aviation emissions compared with conventional jet fuel, but global production in 2026 is expected to be just 2.4 million tonnes or 0.8% of total jet fuel use and it remains two to three times more expensive than conventional jet fuel.
“SAF is aviation’s most important decarbonisation lever, but airlines cannot shoulder the cost of scaling it up alone. Corporate buyers have a unique opportunity to help build the SAF market, contribute to the cost of air transport energy transition, and benefit from recognised scope 3 emissions reductions in the process. The potential is substantial, but it will only be realised if companies can participate with confidence, knowing that their contributions will count and that the process is simple and credible. Getting these foundations right will help unlock investment, grow the market, and accelerate SAF production,” said Marie Owens Thomsen, the International Air Transport Association (IATA’s) Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist.
Thompson’s comments come in the wake of IATA, Airbus and Accenture releasing an SAF Environmental Attribute Certificate (EAc) Market study which estimates that corporate purchases could support between 1 million and 1.9 million tonnes of SAF by 2030, up from an estimated 323 000 tonnes in 2024. This is a strong demand signal for more SAF production, provided factors limiting corporate participation, such as unclear accounting rules, high prices, and purchasing complexity, are addressed.
According to IATA, enabling corporates to meet scope 3 emissions objectives (for business travel and air cargo shipments) through SAF EAc purchases would help co-share the SAF cost by expanding the market to more participants in the value chain. This would require a robust and effective book-and-claim system that enables the claim of the SAF emissions reduction benefits by corporates regardless of where the fuel is delivered and ultimately consumed.
“This study clearly demonstrates that corporate demand is a powerful, untapped catalyst for scaling SAF. By giving corporate buyers the accounting certainty, they need to co-fund the SAF premium, book-and-claim can transform potential interest into firm commitments, sending the near-term demand signal fuel producers need to accelerate production and lower costs across the industry,” said Julien Manhes, Vice President, Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Carbon Dioxide Removal Development, Airbus.
“SAF will do most of the heavy lifting on aviation decarbonisation, but airlines and a select group of corporates cannot carry its cost all the way to 2050. Only around 15% of surveyed corporates are purchasing today, but the majority are waiting for the price to come down, for the carbon accounting to settle, and for the buying process to get simpler. Airlines that establish SAF cost-recovery capabilities now will be best positioned when growth in the SAF EAc market accelerates. The opportunity today is to focus on the sectors where demand is already emerging, making SAF attributes simple and transparent to buy, and invest in the systems, partnerships, and customer relationships that can scale as the market matures,” said Jesko Neuenburg, Global Aviation & Travel Sustainability Lead, Accenture.
SAF EAc generally cost between US$150 and US$500 for each tonne of CO2e emissions abated, while companies report being willing to pay closer to US$300.
IATA further points out that airlines account for approximately 53% of corporate SAF certificate purchases, making them the largest source of certificates for companies seeking to address emissions from business travel and air freight.
Meanwhile, the study identifies three priorities to enable greater corporate participation. These are clear and consistent accounting rules that provide confidence that purchased emissions reductions will be recognized; transparent and interoperable tracking systems that prevent double counting and ensure environmental integrity; and simpler purchasing mechanisms, including greater price transparency, lower minimum purchase volumes and shorter contract durations.
“Corporate participation alone will not deliver the scale of SAF that aviation requires. Continued government support, effective incentives, and a significant expansion of production capacity remain essential.
But every additional corporate purchase convert climate ambition into real market demand and helps distribute the cost of decarbonization more broadly. The next step is making participation easier, more accessible and more credible for companies of all sizes,” said Owens Thomsen.
– ebrandt@nepc.com.na
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