Author: Hardeep Singh

A First For the ISCC CORSIA PLUS Protocol

Global agribusiness leader Bunge has secured the first ever ISCC CORSIA PLUS certification for soybeans processed at its Rondonópolis plant in Mato Grosso. The audit confirms that the crop carries a low risk of indirect land use change, meeting stringent criteria set by the aviation sector for sustainable fuel feedstocks. With one of the largest crushing capacities in South America, the facility can now channel certified oil directly toward sustainable aviation fuel production, opening an immediate path from farm gate to flight deck.

How Low ILUC Soy Benefits Airlines

Airlines governed by the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation can count certified low ILUC soy toward their renewable energy targets without penalty factors. This translates into higher blend limits and simpler compliance reporting. Because the beans are sourced from existing farmland, no new land clearing is involved, keeping carbon intensity scores comfortably below the CORSIA threshold. Refiners also benefit; feedstock loads depart from an inland rail hub, reducing marine emissions associated with long distance imports.

Non-Obvious Market Ripple

A quietly powerful effect of this certification is price discovery. By placing a premium on low ILUC soy, the market now offers growers a clear financial signal to adopt precision agriculture, double cropping and satellite monitored land stewardship. Over time, these practices may raise overall yields, freeing up additional acreage for protein rich food crops even as fuel demand grows. Thus the aviation mandate could indirectly enhance food security, an outcome not typically associated with biofuel policy.

Conclusion

Bunge has demonstrated that large scale soybean production can meet the most demanding sustainability checks while supporting farmer prosperity and aviation decarbonisation. As more Brazilian facilities pursue certification, the global supply of high integrity feedstock for sustainable jet fuel is set to rise rapidly.

Source – OFI

Study Headlines

Researchers at the University of Oxford have modelled a scenario in which worldwide aviation emissions fall by up to seventy five percent using practical efficiency measures alone. The peer reviewed work analyses everything from lighter cabin fittings to improved flight routing and finds that a conservative package of existing solutions could already deliver a fifty percent cut, matching the ambition of many long term fuel mandates.

The Practical Toolkit

Key measures include continuous climb and descent, single engine taxiing, more efficient air traffic sequencing and modern composite seating. None require new aircraft designs or untested fuels. They simply involve adjusting procedures, upgrading software and adopting components that are widely certified. Importantly the study quantifies the combined effect rather than treating each measure in isolation, showing how incremental actions add up when deployed fleet wide.

Non-Obvious Economics

A striking, less discussed insight is how rapidly the savings repay themselves. The researchers note that reducing mass by just one kilogram on every global flight would cut fuel burn sufficiently to offset the cost of installing lighter service carts within a single season. With jet fuel prices historically volatile, this creates a natural hedge for airlines: efficiency investments protect balance sheets while slashing emissions. Moreover, because many interventions focus on optimizing existing ground operations, they can be rolled out at regional airports where capital budgets are limited, spreading benefits beyond flagship hubs.

Conclusion

The Oxford findings remind us that groundbreaking technology is not the only route to cleaner skies. By embracing an efficiency mindset, airlines, airports and regulators can lock in deep carbon reductions today while longer term fuel innovations scale. Collaboration on training and data sharing will be essential, but the toolkit is already on the shelf and ready to fly.

Source – BusinessGreen

In June 2025 Project CAPTURED completed the first ever ship to ship offloading of liquefied carbon dioxide originating from an operating container vessel. The Global Centre for Maritime Decarbonisation partnered with class society DNV to document every activity from capture equipment performance through trucking and final industrial utilisation of the gas. Their verified lifecycle assessment offers a chain picture that goes beyond focus on engine exhaust alone.

Why Lifecycle Thinking Matters

Shipping stakeholders usually concentrate on the technical efficiency of a vessel. Yet climate progress depends on understanding where every gram of carbon ultimately travels. By mapping capture, transport, processing and product substitution, the assessment makes transparent whether savings gained on board are cancelled elsewhere. This whole value approach gives financiers and regulators confidence that investments translate into absolute global reductions rather than local shifts.

Results of Project CAPTURED

With a ten point seven percent capture rate the pilot already delivered a seven point nine percent reduction in total greenhouse output. When foreseeable improvements such as waste heat recovery, shorter trucking routes and enhanced handling are introduced the saving almost doubles to seventeen point eight percent. Even more striking, transforming the gas into mineral products for steel and construction unlocks thirty four percent savings at forty percent capture, outperforming permanent geological storage which reaches twenty one percent under identical conditions.

A Fresh Perspective

The study quietly highlights an unexpected opportunity for vessel owners. Industrial partners will pay for consistent streams of high purity carbon dioxide because it displaces primary limestone in calcium carbonate production. That potential revenue can offset onboard equipment costs, turning what appears as a compliance expense into a parallel earnings channel while supporting circular manufacturing.

Conclusion

Project CAPTURED indicates that onboard capture integrated with productive utilisation can yield substantial and profitable climate benefits. Updating international accounting rules to credit avoided emissions will accelerate commercial adoption across the global fleet.

Source – Hellenic Shipping News

The three efficiency levers

New research from the University of Oxford shows that airlines can cut between fifty and seventy five percent of their climate footprint without waiting for futuristic fuels. The secret is a trio of common sense measures that already exist inside the hangar.

Choose the most efficient aircraft

Every airline owns a mixed fleet. The study analysed more than twenty seven million flights and observed that the newest twin engine designs consume almost two thirds less fuel per passenger kilometre than older models. Strategically scheduling these fuel sipping jets on every route could trim global emissions by eleven percent immediately.

Reimagine cabin space

Premium cabins create comfort but occupy more floor area per traveller. By switching wide body aircraft to economy layouts airlines can add up to fifty percent more seats. More seats mean the same amount of fuel is shared across many additional journeys which multiplies efficiency without any new technology.

Fill every seat

Average load factors currently sit below eighty percent. Raising that figure to ninety five percent would cut another sixteen percent of emissions. One surprisingly simple tactic involves dynamic ticket pricing that rewards travellers who choose flights with empty seats, smoothing demand across the day.

Policy and business upside

Investors will appreciate that these measures align perfectly with profit. Newer aircraft reduce fuel bills, dense cabins lift revenue per litre of kerosene, and fuller planes improve margins. A non obvious insight from the study is that deploying efficient jets on the busiest one hundred city pairs alone would deliver almost one quarter of the total saving, illustrating the power of focusing on high frequency corridors first.

Conclusion

Efficiency may lack the glamour of hydrogen aircraft yet it delivers climate wins right now. By coordinating fleet assignment, cabin design and smart demand management, aviation can fly further on far less fuel while industry innovators continue developing tomorrow’s propulsion solutions.

Source – University of Oxford

Vision for a Greener Sky

Sustainable aviation fuel can reduce life cycle emissions by as much as eighty percent compared with conventional jet fuel, making it the most viable option to decarbonise flying today. The Sustainable Markets Initiative selected Paul Griffiths chief executive of Dubai Airports to serve as chief champion of the SAF Pathfinder programme. His proven record guiding the busiest international airport network gives him unparalleled insight into how operations logistics and commercial agreements intersect.

Mobilising Investment and Policy Support

The Pathfinder framework unites airlines, energy companies’ financiers, and regulators to unlock the scale-up challenge. Core priorities include

• securing long term offtake agreements that de risk capital for new biorefineries
• harmonising sustainability standards so that fuel qualifies for incentives across jurisdictions
• coordinating supply chain infrastructure from pipeline upgrades to airport blending facilities
• advocating for price stability through predictable carbon market signals

Industry analysts forecast robust double-digit growth in SAF production volumes. Early momentum is strong. Multiple multilateral banks have opened discussions on blended finance structures, while energy innovators explore power to liquid pathways that pair renewable electricity with captured carbon dioxide.

A Non-Obvious Insight: Airport as Demand Catalyst

Airports rarely appear in fuel policy conversations, yet they control scheduling gate allocation and concession agreements. By integrating SAF usage targets into these operational levers an airport can motivate carriers more effectively than external regulation alone. Dubai Airports successful biodiesel ground fleet illustrates how facilities can create an ecosystem that normalises cleaner fuel choices for tenants’ service providers and passengers alike.

Conclusion

Paul Griffiths leadership positions sustainable aviation fuel at the heart of future air mobility strategies. Through collaborative investment streamlined standards and innovative airport centred incentives the SAF Pathfinder Initiative is set to accelerate adoption and deliver meaningful climate benefits while supporting continued growth in global connectivity.

Source – Travel and Tour World

Why Environmental Attribute Certificates Matter

Environmental Attribute Certificates convert verified climate benefits into transferable digital tokens connected to specific transport activities. Each certificate stores data on fuel type, route, and emissions factor, creating an auditable trail that companies can retire against Scope 3 inventories. Because certificates are digital, they deliver measurable progress today while capital raised from their sale funds tomorrow innovations.

How the Partnership Works

MOL purchased air travel certificates issued by ITOCHU to balance greenhouse gases from employee flights. ITOCHU acquired sea freight certificates generated by MOL to address emissions from cargo movements. The exchange ran on 123Carbon, a Dutch registry that records issuance, transfer, storage, and retirement in one ledger, eliminating double counting. Both firms remain certificate users, not brokers, keeping activity tied to real operations.

A Fresh Model for Japanese Logistics

The cross sector purchase offers a valuable insight: certificates can move in both directions among partners rather than only downstream to customers. By valuing emissions from travel and freight equivalently, each company created an internal market for climate gains. If replicated, two way exchanges could shrink supply chain footprints while keeping finance circulating inside Japanese industry instead of flowing to overseas offset projects.

Conclusion

MOL and ITOCHU prove collaboration, transparency, and digital tools can unlock immediate Scope 3 progress. Their pilot demonstrates a scalable method for companies reliant on transport to compensate today while preparing for cleaner fuels tomorrow. Expect more circular certificate trading relationships as standards mature.

Source – Hellenic Shipping News

The European Commission will soon publish its review of the global Corsia climate scheme together with updated European Union Emissions Trading System rules for aviation. The parallel evaluation underscores a simple point: in Europe carbon now has a clear and rising price for every departure.

Key adjustments

Free emission allowances are expected to shrink by twenty five percent in 2024, by fifty percent in 2025, and disappear in 2026. Because the timeline mirrors the Corsia baseline, regulators aim to let airlines submit one harmonised data set for both programs. A less discussed benefit is that combined verification can reduce the compliance software stack by almost half at large network airlines. That change removes duplicate reporting work, releasing specialist staff to focus on fuel saving projects.

Incentives turning cost into opportunity

Money raised through full auctioning flows straight into the Innovation Fund, already financing power to liquid fuel plants, hydrogen trucks, and advanced composite research. A separate pool of twenty million special allowances will cover part of the current price gap between kerosene and sustainable aviation fuel until 2030. Each rise of one euro in the carbon price closes roughly two percent of that gap, improving the business case for regional fuel infrastructure upgrades.

Global ripple effects

Aligning Corsia procedures with the EU system reduces uncertainty for foreign carriers that link Europe with faster growing markets. A single predictable rule book lowers the chance of surprise levies and route cancellations. Aircraft and engine manufacturers also gain firmer demand signals, helping them justify larger budgets for lighter materials, open fan architectures, and digital optimisation tools.

Conclusion

The forthcoming decision transforms carbon pricing from administrative chore to strategic lever. Clear costs, coupled with targeted incentives, reward efficiency, accelerate sustainable fuel rollout, and keep European air travel competitive while progressing toward climate goals.

Source – Aviation Week Network

Why Air Cargo Needs a Fresh Approach

After a surge in e commerce, dedicated freighter fleets move a growing share of international goods. Sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, cuts life cycle climate impact by as much as eighty percent when used neat, yet availability remains limited and price remains high in many regions.

Separating Molecules from Credits

The book and claim framework resolves this bottleneck by allowing airlines and freight forwarders to purchase the climate benefit even when physical SAF is delivered elsewhere. Every time a refinery loads SAF into the pipeline, a digital certificate equal to the associated emissions reduction is minted. Shippers across the globe can retire those certificates against their own flights, creating immediate demand that justifies higher production volumes.

Non-obvious insight

Because certificates specify both feedstock type and refining pathway, buyers can select attributes that match their own sustainability narratives, for example waste oils from specific communities. This level of storytelling value is driving a premium that partially offsets the current price gap between SAF and conventional jet fuel.

Governance and Transparency

Platforms such as Avelia employ blockchain technology to record issuance and retirement, preventing double counting and supplying auditors with real time data. International bodies are now drafting harmonised rules so that certificates generated in one system can be exchanged seamlessly with another, mirroring the evolution of renewable electricity guarantees across Europe two decades ago.

Next Steps for the Industry

Early adopters including logistics giants and technology firms are publishing scope three progress achieved through book and claim. Their participation indicates growing confidence and sends a clear market signal to fuel producers. As volumes scale, economists predict that SAF could achieve price parity with fossil jet fuel before the end of the decade.

Conclusion

Book and claim empowers companies to act today instead of waiting for local SAF supply, turning climate ambition into quantifiable action.

Source – MIT Technology Review

New incentive at a glance

California lawmakers have included a dedicated tax credit for sustainable aviation fuel in the Governor budget proposal for the coming fiscal year. The measure would complement the federal Inflation Reduction Act credit and a national blender incentive expected in 2027. Under the outline, producers earning verified lifecycle carbon reductions will qualify for a per gallon benefit once fuel is uplifted within the state.

Why this matters for producers

For developers considering new projects in the western United States, a state level layer of support materially improves project economics. Many facilities already target California airports because of existing low carbon fuel standard values. Adding an income tax credit on top of that transaction credit rewards both capital investment and ongoing fuel delivery. One often overlooked advantage is that the credit could shorten payback periods enough to help first movers secure lower interest financing, offsetting elevated construction costs along the Pacific coast.

Broader market impact

The proposal signals confidence in the maturity of SAF pathways such as alcohol to jet and power to liquid. By framing eligibility around carbon intensity rather than feedstock, lawmakers also encourage innovation in woody biomass and renewable electricity based electrofuels, both abundant in California. Airports stand to gain reputational value as customers can book verifiable climate friendly flights without routing changes. If the credit passes intact, analysts estimate a potential annual demand increase of nearly one hundred million gallons by early next decade, representing roughly ten percent of projected United States consumption.

A non-obvious insight

Because the credit is tied to fuel delivered, not manufactured, out of state plants may redirect volumes toward California hubs. This competitive pull could motivate neighboring jurisdictions to introduce matching policies, accelerating regional adoption beyond state borders.

Conclusion

The proposed California tax credit reinforces momentum toward cleaner aviation by stacking incentives, attracting investment, and encouraging policy competition that benefits travelers and the climate.

Source – Biomass Magazine

Funding accelerates Project Beacon

Aether Fuels closed a fifteen million dollar convertible note to fast track engineering work on Project Beacon, its first commercial sustainable aviation fuel facility planned for Singapore. The plant will process industrial waste gas and biomethane into approximately two thousand tonnes of CORSIA certified fuel each year, using the company proprietary Aurora technology.

How Aurora works

Aurora produces synthesis gas from diverse carbon rich streams then applies Fischer Tropsch chemistry and proprietary upgrading steps to yield aviation grade molecules. Unlike many platforms that depend on a single feedstock, Aurora can flip between captured carbon dioxide, biogas or municipal waste derived gas without major hardware changes. This flexibility means the plant can maintain high utilisation even as individual waste sources fluctuate.

Strategic significance

Locating the facility in Singapore places it near both abundant industrial gas supplies and busy regional airports, reducing logistic costs for feedstock and finished fuel alike. Furthermore, Singapore aviation hub status could allow airlines early access to SAF for flights connecting the Asia Pacific region to Europe where fuel mandates are growing.

A non-obvious insight

At fifty barrels per day, the project may appear modest; however, it offers an important proof of economics for variable feedstock operations. If the plant meets its seventy percent emissions reduction target, regulators might credit additional carbon savings related to avoided waste flaring, effectively improving revenue per barrel without changing hardware.

Leadership and partnerships

New investors such as Aster Ventures and EDBI joined existing backers including AP Ventures and Chevron Technology Ventures, bringing total funding above sixty million dollars. Recent executive appointments ensure global project management expertise and strong research capacity when a dedicated Singapore laboratory opens in 2026.

Conclusion

With fresh capital and versatile technology, Aether Fuels is positioned to deliver reliable SAF supply to a key aviation crossroads while demonstrating a pathway for circular carbon solutions worldwide.

Source – ESG Today