Sustainable Aviation Fuel Certificates Offer a Solution to Air Transport Emissions
Boulder, CO, Boston, MA – October 28, 2024
RMI (founded as Rocky Mountain Institute) and World Energy today announced they have signed an agreement for the purchase of sustainable aviation fuel certificates (SAFc) to address emissions associated with RMI’s necessary business travel and accelerate decarbonization solutions in the aviation industry. This is RMI’s second and largest purchase of SAFc to date and is expected to deliver 954 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions reduction over five years, or the emissions from flying more than 1500 economy class passengers round trip between New York to San Francisco.
This agreement was part of the most recent set of agreements facilitated by the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA), which collectively supported more than 20 customers in purchasing SAFc from about 50 million gallons of SAF, representing 500,000 metric tons of CO2e abatement.
This important part of RMI’s commitment to decarbonize its own operations aligns with its leadership role in the race to support climate solutions across multiple industries. Alongside sectors like shipping, trucking, cement, chemicals, and steel, aviation is a priority for RMI due to its growing share of global greenhouse gas emissions and complex supply chain. The announcement comes as many RMI personnel will be traveling to San Jose to contribute expertise and ideas at the VERGE24 conference during another busy event season when climate experts from around the globe find themselves flying to meet their peers.
“Air travel is a significant contributor to carbon emissions, and as an organization that frequently engages in international collaboration, we recognize our responsibility to mitigate our environmental impact,” said Bryan Fisher, managing director at RMI. “By investing in sustainable aviation fuel certificates – a tool we helped pioneer – we are helping drive demand for SAF, advancing the adoption of new fuel technologies, and setting a strong example for companies increasingly focused on addressing climate change.”
World Energy, the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer and low-carbon solutions provider, is a leading innovator in enabling customers to decarbonize their supply chains with SAFc to help scale the SAF industry. It has worked with SABA as a SAFc provider in both collective procurement efforts to date, as one of the companies paving the way for broader SAF adoption.
“World Energy has been proud to put many of RMI’s ideas and models for the SAF market into practice in the corporate world,” said Kathleen Wight, World Energy’s vice president of Net Zero Solutions. “RMI’s commitment to using SAFc insets for its own emissions reduction sends a strong signal that real world solutions exist today in the aviation sector for those committed to net-zero travel.”
Purchasing SAF certificates enables corporate travelers to support the production and use of sustainable aviation fuel, even if it isn’t directly used in the aircraft they fly on. The investment enables companies to claim greenhouse gas emissions reductions in their climate disclosures, while the physical SAF flows to an aircraft operator, displacing fossil jet fuel. The integrity of the SAF certificates is digitally tracked and third-party verified through a chain of custody model known as book and claim. These certificates will be delivered through the SAFc Registry, a not-for-profit, globally accessible platform RMI helped develop that aims to bring consistency and transparency to the SAF certificate market.
The SAF underlying the SAF certificates will be made with state-of-the-art technology, refining hydro processed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) using waste fats, waste oils, and other residues as feedstocks. The high-quality fuel will be certified against the industry standards consistent with SABA’s sustainability criteria to ensure its sustainability.