Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) has the potential to change the way your business flies. In any sustainability strategy, it is important to tackle flight-related emissions. SAF gives companies a way to reduce these emissions.
Whether it’s for business or personal reasons, flying has become an essential part of how we travel. The fact that air travel is significantly more affordable than decades ago, has contributed to its exponential growth as an industry. But there is a catch: while it contributes to economic development, it also means a rise in carbon emissions. As the aviation industry grows, it could take up a quarter of the carbon budget in 2050 – which means we need more sustainable solutions.
So how can you move forward? To address this in a post-pandemic world, many corporates are making plans to resume business travel, as well as putting a laser focus on their Scope 3 air travel and cargo emissions, which cover all other indirect emissions from activities of the organization, occurring from sources they do not own or control. This means that they can investigate different options to decrease their aviation footprint, such as reducing the amount they travel by continuing to use digital platforms for business, purchasing carbon offsets or using alternative transport for short distances.
Where SAF comes in
While the surest way to reduce emissions is flying less and using alternative ways to travel, there are times where we still need to fly. To make this more sustainable, we need to change how we fly, while enabling large scale change within aviation. One such option is using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to effectively reduce emissions.
Let’s start with what SAF is.
In simple terms, SAF is a clean substitute for fossil jet fuels. Rather than being refined from petroleum, SAF is produced from sustainable feedstocks such as waste oils from a biological origin, agri residues, or non-fossil CO2.
You might be thinking, ‘’But why SAF? What about electric planes?’’
Airplanes rely on liquid fuels and are not able to switch to alternative energy sources like hydrogen or electricity in the short term. Although there is work being done for electric flights, the focus is on shorter flights. SAF made from renewable resources is one of the most important options to significantly reduce the industry’s carbon footprint and at the same time reduce the dependency on fossil kerosene.
The green premium
Right now, the main challenge SAF faces is the “green premium”, which is the price difference between fossil kerosene and SAF. The lack of scale and the lack of stable and effective policy in turn maintain the price premium. Because of this premium, airlines are limited in the volume of SAF they can buy. But there is a solution, as we see more and more organizations forming partnerships beyond the aviation industry to increase the uptake of SAF, bringing this premium down and pushing the energy transition in this industry.
Looking ahead
On this journey to a more sustainable future, it is especially important for corporates to take a stand and lead this transition. Especially since many of them have significant aviation-related footprints, such as business travel and air freight. There are enough sustainable feedstocks available to fuel all flights – the next step is to make this economically, environmentally, and socially viable.
With this in mind, SkyNRG has made it its mission to make sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) the new global standard. For this reason, Strive and SkyNRG have partnered-up.
Meet SkyNRG’s Board Now program
As a pioneer and global leader in Sustainable Aviation Fuel, SkyNRG scales up SAF demand and supply globally. Having supplied over 30 airlines on all continents, it is SkyNRG’s mission to make SAF the new global standard, driven by sustainable practices throughout the supply chain. As part of the Board Now program, SkyNRG brings together a coalition of forward thinking companies that want to reduce emissions, innovate, and accelerate our way to a sustainable aviation future.
The Board Now program for corporates is more than a tool for carbon reduction, it is a community of leaders with a shared goal, who see value in the network, knowledge, and employee engagement tools that Board Now provides.
This means that our partners and members can:
- Achieve in-sector carbon emissions reductions and a smaller carbon footprint from aviation
- Make a direct contribution to a mechanism that increases the availability and use of SAF in the aviation industry
- Receive audited annual sustainability reports
- Access SAF at competitive prices
- Access a network of global (corporate) sustainability leaders
- Have the chance to demonstrate sustainability leadership to employees and customers
Current members of Board Now include PwC, Microsoft, and BCG among others.
By building a new industry for SAF, we can create a sustainable future for aviation together. New collaborations are vital in achieving this goal. If you are interested in reducing your carbon footprint through the use of SAF, please feel free to contact us at hello@strive.earth or through the form below.