Today, two organizations provide sustainability certifications for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF):
- The International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC)
- The Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB)
Both ISCC and RSB certification schemes are recognized by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). These certifications are designed to align with compliance requirements for ICAO’s Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), the European Union Renewable Energy Directive (EU RED), and voluntary market standards.
What Environmental Attributes Mean for SAF:
In the context of SAF, environmental attributes allow for the measurement and communication of the climate benefits of alternative jet fuels.
Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs) or SAF Certificates
Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs) are tools used to quantify and track the climate benefits of decarbonization efforts. In the aviation sector, EACs are often referred to as “SAF certificates,” as they quantify the environmental benefits linked to physical SAF. These certificates verify the production and use of SAF and can be bought, sold, or claimed independently of the physical fuel.
What These Certificates Mean for the SAF Landscape:
SAF consists of two components: the physical fuel and its associated environmental attributes. Through a chain of custody model, buyers can purchase and “claim” these attributes for emissions reporting purposes. This enables a broader range of stakeholders—including those not directly involved in the physical fuel supply chain, such as corporate travelers—to participate in reducing emissions across the aviation value chain. Once environmental attributes are “retired,” SAF certificates are issued, confirming that the associated benefits have been claimed and used.
Retiring Environmental Attributes
Retiring environmental attributes involves permanently removing the environmental benefits represented by a SAF certificate from circulation, allowing these benefits to be claimed and “retired.”
What Retirement Means for the SAF Landscape:
Once a SAF certificate or attribute is retired, the associated emissions reductions or other environmental benefits can no longer be sold or traded. This ensures transparency in sustainability reporting and prevents the double-claiming of environmental benefits.
Chain of Custody (CoC)
A Chain of Custody (CoC) accounting model tracks a product and its associated attributes through every step of the value chain, ensuring transparency and accountability. The primary CoC models used in the SAF market today are “book and claim” and “mass balance.”
What CoC Means for Aviation Decarbonization:
Chain of Custody systems ensure the integrity of SAF’s quality and climate claims, building trust that the fuel delivers on its sustainability promises. These models provide the infrastructure that allows purchasers across the value chain to support the emerging SAF industry by buying SAF environmental attributes.
Business Licenses
- Export Licenses
- ISCC Certificates
- ISCC Certification and GHG Data Synchronization are reliable with professional local team management
