As the aviation industry strives for net-zero emissions, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) stands out as the most promising pathway to decarbonization. However, scaling SAF faces significant challenges, including the complexity and cost of supply chains and the high price of SAF compared to conventional jet fuel. Where there is strong demand for lower-emissions fuels, there is often a misalignment with supply. Corporate customers of aviation services able to pay the premium for SAF don’t always have physical or financial control of their supply chains, and individual airline passengers by themselves are limited in the degree to which they can influence investment decisions on critical infrastructure and technology to decarbonize aviation.

Certified emissions reduction claims, such as SAF certificates (SAFc) help speed up the deployment of aviation decarbonization technologies through voluntary interventions by corporate and cargo customers. Buyers of SAFc can confidently plan to meet their corporate climate targets even when the physical product isn’t available, while increasing demand for SAF and helping drive investment in critical infrastructure. By creating a secondary value stream that generates revenue for SAF producers and suppliers, SAFc also helps secure advanced offtake agreements for alternative fuels, easing project financing to build more capacity.

What is a SAF certificate?

A sustainable aviation fuel certificate represents the environmental attributes associated with one metric ton of unblended, certified sustainable aviation fuel. SAFc conveys certified information about the associated physical SAF such as its carbon intensity and emission reductions compared to fossil jet fuel. SAFc is used by companies to claim reductions in direct (Scope 1) and indirect (Scope 3) aviation-related emissions through a book and claim system, while the physical SAF is blended with conventional jet fuel to power aircraft. To maximize the reach and impact of SAFc, RMI and the Environmental Defense Fund, in partnership with the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA) and Energy Web, launched the SAFc Registry in December 2023.

The Registry is a standardized secure electronic database that enables issuance, transfer, and retirement of SAFc, creating the uniformity, transparency, and verifiability of aviation-related emissions reduction claims associated with the use of SAF certificates. To date, the Registry has onboarded more than eight fuel providers, five airlines and more than 30 corporate customers, facilitating the issuance of over 31,000 metric tons of SAFc representing more than 140,000 metric tons of abated aviation-related emissions.

A novel partnership

To increase the accessibility of this critical decarbonization tool, the SAFc Registry and software provider Chooose have pioneered an integration to automate SAFc transactions and support this fast-developing market. The collaboration is a significant step forward for the SAF ecosystem, launching a first-of-its-kind integration of an operational SAF registry with software built to support and scale the management and operation of SAF programs. By breaking down silos that complicate and slow SAF environmental attribute management, tracking, and retirement, this collaboration streamlines transactions across the value chain, creating a simplified experience for air carriers, corporate aviation customers, and even commercial passengers.

Alaska Airlines is the first airline to leverage this partnership as the company continues to scale its SAF program. The integration allows Alaska Airlines to access the SAFc Registry directly from the Chooose platform, making it easier to uphold the chain of custody, automate certificate management, and provide customers with a transparent way to help accelerate aviation decarbonization efforts. As the fifth largest carrier in the United States, Alaska’s use of the system will give access to the SAFc ecosystem not only to corporate and cargo customers but also commercial flyers and loyalty members.

Alaska Airlines has a long track record of sustainability leadership, including its participation in the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA). Some of the most ambitious companies addressing their aviation-related emissions have joined that initiative and signed long-term SAF and SAFc offtake agreements with providers. Many of the transactions flow through the SAFc Registry, which has been purposefully designed to bring transparency and auditability to this rapidly evolving market. Through SABA and the partnership with Chooose, the Registry is poised for significant growth and is well positioned to meet the market’s needs.

Today, the demand for SAF outstrips its supply, demonstrating the market’s enthusiasm for new SAF production.  By creating a collaborative, accessible, and transparent SAFc ecosystem, aviation industry leaders have the opportunity to help scale SAF production and accelerate global decarbonization efforts.