Rapid decarbonization and energy-source transitions are required in every industry to meet the challenge of climate change. Aviation is a carbon-intensive and “hard to abate” sector and accounts for ~3% of global CO2 emissions annually. Although air travel and its emissions declined precipitously during the COVID-19 pandemic, aviation traffic is expected to rebound over the coming years and continue to grow in both traffic and emissions as per industry estimates.1

As significant air transport users in terms of both people and cargo, corporations and other organizations have a mutually beneficial role to play in supporting aviation’s net-zero pathway, while also achieving their own direct and business-travel emissions reduction targets. A mechanism to achieve both of these ambitions at the same time is needed. The World Economic Forum’s Clean Skies for Tomorrow (CST) initiative has developed the sustainable aviation fuel certificate (SAFc) framework to meet this need.

CST is a mechanism for leaders along the aviation value chain to facilitate the industry’s transition to net-zero emissions by mid-century, with a particular focus on scaling global production and the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). SAF is recognized as the fastest, most viable in-sector decarbonization approach, but SAF is two to five times the price 

of conventional jet fuel. Therefore, its widespread adoption suffers from a “chicken-and-egg” challenge, whereby SAF producers and consumers are unable or unwilling to shoulder the initial costs of scaling production. 

The SAFc framework is one potential solution to this challenge. SAFc is a novel accounting instrument that decouples SAF fuel from its emissions reduction benefits so that the actual fuel can be delivered to the nearest airport and the climate benefits can be claimed by the SAFc buyer. Firms purchase SAFc, which provides a market-based mechanism for managing their aviation-related emissions and enables them to be recognized for their mitigation efforts. By covering SAF’s price premium, the purchase of SAFc also addresses the aviation industry’s supply-and-demand impasse over scaling SAF. The concept was developed in collaboration with a wide variety of CST’s partners and is building on their input.2