Author: Hardeep Singh

Why the Agreement Matters

DHL Express has signed a binding offtake contract with Finnish producer Neste for fifty million litres of Sustainable Aviation Fuel delivered during 2026. By arranging supply ahead of the ReFuelEU Aviation mandate, the company guarantees volume and cost predictability at a moment when many carriers are still planning their approach. This forward thinking move positions DHL to keep freight moving while pursuing its net zero roadmap.

Compliance and Competitive Advantage

Beginning January 2026 all jet fuel distributed at European airports must contain a rising minimum share of SAF. Analysts expect demand to outpace near term production. DHL has therefore shifted from reactive purchasing toward long range procurement. The move secures three distinct advantages:

• Regulatory readiness that eliminates last minute compliance pressures
• Budget certainty insulated from possible price spikes when quotas rise
• Credibility with customers requesting carbon informed logistics

A non-obvious insight emerges early movers can treat confirmed emission reductions as strategic inventory. Similar to spare aircraft parts, guaranteed litres of low carbon fuel carry optionality. They support future operations or can be reassigned through pooling agreements, creating a secondary market for SAF entitlements.

Building Toward Broader Net Zero Goals

The company intends to source more than thirty percent of all transport energy from sustainable alternatives by 2030. Parallel initiatives include electrifying most last mile vehicles and using data guided flight planning to improve payload efficiency. The new contract with Neste complements these efforts by targeting the highest emitting segment of the network, intercontinental air.

Market Signals

Global SAF production doubled during the past two years but still represents less than one percent of total aviation fuel. Long range contracts like this one encourage producers to finance additional refineries and feedstock collection, accelerating the climb toward meaningful scale.

Conclusion

This proactive purchase by DHL demonstrates how regulation can spark collaboration that benefits both climate and commerce. Forward contracting turns sustainability into a measurable business advantage while giving fuel makers confidence to expand.

Source – CarbonCredits

Renewed Legislative Focus

Minnesota lawmakers are expected to revisit a tax credit proposal aimed at accelerating Sustainable Aviation Fuel production and use across the state. The measure gained broad support during the previous session but did not reach the final vote. Advocates, including the Minnesota Biofuels Association, remain confident that momentum and bipartisan interest will translate into success in 2026.

Why Incentives Matter

SAF currently costs more than traditional jet fuel because commercial scale plants are still expanding. A state credit can narrow this gap, giving airlines and fuel blenders a clear financial reason to commit long term contracts that underpin new facilities. The approach mirrors renewable electricity incentives that helped solar and wind industries reach cost parity over the past decade.

Economic Upside for Agriculture

Minnesota is a leading producer of corn and soybeans, both sources for next generation fuels. By stimulating local SAF demand, the state can:

• Generate higher value markets for crop-based feedstocks
• Create construction and operations jobs within rural communities
• Retain transportation revenue at home rather than importing fossil fuel

A non-obvious insight is that aviation demand is less seasonal than road fuel usage. Continuous offtake could stabilize plant utilization rates, smoothing cash flow for producers and allowing better prices for farmers year-round.

Aligning with Federal Action

At the national level representatives from nearby Kansas and Nebraska have introduced the Securing Americas Fuels Act, designed to complement state programs with additional funding and guidance. Coordination between state and federal incentives can give developers confidence to pursue multi facility strategies, ultimately building a Midwestern SAF corridor that benefits carriers flying hub routes through Minneapolis Saint Paul.

Conclusion

By revisiting a targeted tax credit Minnesota positions itself as a front runner in the growing market for low carbon aviation fuel. Proactive policy, strong agricultural resources, and regional collaboration offer a compelling formula for sustainable economic development.

Source – BrownfieldAgNews

Partnership Overview

Siemens Mobility has awarded DHL Supply Chain a long term contract to distribute critical train components from modern distribution centers in Kettering and Goole to maintenance depots across the United Kingdom. The agreement spans routine deliveries as well as rapid same day shipments that keep passenger services running smoothly.

Sustainability at the Core

Seventy percent of the dedicated DHL fleet already operates on hydrotreated vegetable oil, delivering around eighty percent lower carbon intensity compared with conventional diesel. The remaining vehicles will transition during the next twelve months, making this one of the first rail supply chains in Britain powered entirely by renewable fuel.

Digital Visibility Advantages

DHL will orchestrate every movement through its Connected Control Tower in Tamworth. By integrating live telematics and order data, Siemens planners gain up to the minute insight into part locations, lead times and route efficiency. This transparency enables proactive decision making that minimises inventory buffers yet safeguards service reliability.

Economic Impact

Moving to HVO also yields tangible financial gains. Because the fuel burns cleaner, engines require fewer DPF regenerations and oil changes, cutting maintenance expenses by up to ten percent. Reduced idling time from optimised routing adds further savings, proving that green strategies can directly strengthen the bottom line.

A Non-Obvious Insight

When logistics data illustrates pattern changes in component demand, Siemens maintenance teams can adjust inspection intervals before faults arise. This predictive link between transport analytics and asset management transforms the supply chain from a cost center into a performance enhancer, reducing unplanned downtime without adding extra staff or vehicles.

Conclusion

The partnership unites advanced fuel strategy and data driven execution to set a fresh benchmark for rail logistics. By combining renewable energy, real time visibility and collaborative planning, Siemens Mobility and DHL Supply Chain are creating a resilient blueprint that can inspire wider adoption across the transport sector.

Source – Global Railway Review

Shared vision for cleaner skies

Japan Airlines joined forces with Delta, Lufthansa, American, KLM, Emirates, and several other carriers to push sustainable aviation fuel into regular service. The partners collectively handle hundreds of millions of passengers each year, so even modest blending ratios translate into substantial carbon savings.

Domestic production energises Japanese supply

A benchmark was reached when the Osaka refinery commenced full scale production using waste cooking oil gathered through the Fry to Fly initiative. By linking household recycling with international flights, Japan Airlines created a tangible circular economy story that resonates with travellers and local governments alike.

A non-obvious insight

Because cooking oil collection is geographically dispersed, the project quietly stimulated a fleet optimisation rethink. Smaller tank trucks now backhaul waste oil on return legs that previously ran empty, cutting logistics costs for both waste managers and the airline caterer.

Collective purchasing power drives scale

The alliance members have signed long term offtake agreements amounting to several billion litres. This unified demand signal gives biofuel refiners confidence to invest in larger reactors, rapidly bringing unit prices closer to traditional jet fuel. Each carrier still maintains independent sustainability targets, yet the purchasing pool ensures consistent fuel specifications and smoother certification.

Wider industry ripple effects

Cargo operators, freight forwarders, and even airport food suppliers are beginning to request proof of SAF usage because shipping documents can now embed fuel origin data. This cascade effect demonstrates how airline collaboration influences the entire aviation ecosystem, not just flight operations.

Conclusion

The joint initiative illustrates that coordination, rather than isolated pilot flights, is the fastest route to meaningful emission reduction in aviation. With domestic feedstock pathways maturing and multi airline buying power in place, sustainable aviation fuel is moving from demonstration to dependable staple of global travel.

Source – Travel And Tour World

Key progress in 2025

The Poseidon Principles, a voluntary framework guiding lenders in measuring climate alignment of their shipping portfolios, released its Sixth Annual Disclosure Report on fifteen December. The study covers thirty six signatories spanning fourteen countries and representing nearly three quarters of global ship finance. The latest figures reveal that average deviation from the International Maritime Organisation minimum decarbonisation trajectory narrowed from just over nineteen percent last year to under twelve percent, an improvement of almost eight percentage points even as the pathway became more demanding.

Ninety five percent of eligible loan exposure was reported, marking the second highest disclosure level since the framework debuted in 2019. Twenty nine signatories reported at least ninety percent while nine institutions achieved complete coverage. Cargo and passenger segments showed the biggest leaps, moving to six and twenty six percent misaligned respectively, thanks to retrofit programmes, dual fuel tonnage and operational efficiency gains.

Why transparency matters

Full portfolio disclosure does more than satisfy environmental curiosity. Banks report that emissions data now informs credit committees, pricing grids and sustainability linked covenants, directing capital toward energy efficient vessels and emerging fuel projects. That feedback loop creates a virtuous cycle where cleaner assets enjoy better financing terms, accelerating fleet renewal.

A non obvious insight is that by extending membership to private equity, hedge funds and bond underwriters through a new associate tier, the initiative is poised to influence earlier stages of capital formation. Future shipbuilding bonds or structured notes could embed emission linked triggers before steel is cut, amplifying impact beyond traditional bank loans.

Conclusion

The Poseidon Principles have demonstrated another year of concrete progress, shrinking the gap between financing decisions and climate goals while broadening their reach across the wider investment community. Transparent data driven finance is proving to be a powerful propeller for decarbonising global shipping.

Source – Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

Why ISO 13659 matters more than it looks

ISO 13659 may sound like another technical standard, but it arrives at a very important moment. Many organisations already use book and claim for sustainable fuels and renewable energy. They do this because physical supply chains are complex. Fuel and power flow through shared tanks, pipelines and grids, so it is not easy to follow every sustainable unit from origin to final user.

Up to now, each scheme has worked with its own rules. Some are strong and transparent. Others are less clear. ISO 13659 does something very simple but very powerful. It offers a shared language for book and claim. It helps everyone agree on what good practice looks like.

For sustainability professionals this is not only about compliance. It is about clarity, trust and scale.

Book and claim in everyday language

Book and claim can feel abstract, but the idea is simple.

An organisation buys a product or service with a positive environmental attribute. For example, a batch of sustainable aviation fuel, a volume of marine biofuel or renewable electricity. That positive attribute is turned into a certificate inside a registry. The fuel or power itself may go into a common system, but the certificate can move separately.

Another organisation can then buy and retire that certificate. When it does this, it can make a climate related claim that matches the attribute recorded in the registry. The key is that each unit is used only once.

If the rules are weak, trust falls quickly. If the rules are strong and clear, more buyers are willing to join. ISO 13659 aims to strengthen those rules in a consistent way across sectors.

The quiet insight inside ISO 13659

The non obvious value of ISO 13659 is not only in its technical detail. It is in the way it can change internal conversations.

Until now, many book and claim schemes sit mostly with sustainability teams. They manage certificates, track claims and prepare reports. Finance teams see it as an added layer of cost. Operations teams see it as something that happens far from the daily pressure of moving aircraft, ships and trucks.

ISO 13659 invites these groups to speak a shared language.

It encourages clear answers to questions such as

Who is allowed to issue certificates
Who checks the underlying activity
Who can claim the environmental benefit
How is double counting avoided across markets and reports

Once an organisation answers these questions in a structured way, new benefits appear. Data becomes easier to audit. Climate claims become easier to explain to customers. Internal approvals become smoother because people trust the governance around the scheme.

A new backbone for transport decarbonisation

For transport, book and claim is not a side topic. It is becoming a central tool in decarbonisation plans.

In aviation, not every airport will receive physical sustainable aviation fuel in the near term. Book and claim allows corporate buyers and airlines to support production even when the aircraft they use do not always depart from a location with direct access to the fuel.

In maritime, global shipping routes cross many ports with different levels of fuel availability. Certificates for low carbon or zero carbon marine fuels can help ship owners and cargo owners support cleaner energy where it is available, and claim the benefit in a transparent way.

In road transport, logistics operators can use certificates for renewable power or advanced biofuels to clean up complex fleets and shared infrastructure.

ISO 13659 does not solve every challenge in these sectors. However it gives a more stable backbone for the many book and claim systems that already exist or are now emerging. That backbone supports better registry design, clearer claims and more confident investment in new fuels.

Practical steps for sustainability professionals

ISO 13659 is a useful trigger for a simple internal review. Sustainability professionals can start with a few practical steps.

They can map where book and claim already appears in their organisation. For example, in fuel contracts, renewable energy purchases, voluntary climate commitments or customer specific offerings.

They can check how registries are managed. Who holds access. What data is recorded. How certificates are issued and retired. What evidence is kept for verification.

They can review climate related claims in reports and marketing materials. Do these claims match the certificates that have been retired. Are time periods and volumes aligned. Could an external reader misunderstand the messages.

Specialist advisory firms with deep experience in transport and sustainability can support this review. They can translate ISO language into practical checklists, training sessions and revised claim frameworks that work for real world teams. The result can be a cleaner story that stands up to scrutiny from auditors, regulators and customers.

Turning a standard into a strategic tool

It is easy to see ISO 13659 as another item on a long compliance list. That view misses an opportunity.

Handled well, the standard can become a strategic tool. It can help leadership teams decide where they want to position themselves in emerging markets for sustainable fuels and energy. It can guide the design of new customer products that bundle transport services with high quality environmental attributes.

It can also support better cooperation along value chains. Fuel producers, carriers and corporate buyers can align on shared registry rules and claim principles. This reduces friction, speeds up deal making and reduces the risk of disputes about ownership of climate benefits.

The most interesting insight is that a technical standard can quietly reshape behaviour far beyond the legal or audit function. It can influence how sustainability teams talk to finance, how sales teams talk to customers and how boards talk about progress toward climate targets.

Conclusion

ISO 13659 is more than a footnote in the standards catalog. It is a new language for book and claim at a time when many organisations depend on this model to move faster on climate goals.

By treating it as a chance to tidy data, clarify claims and align internal teams, sustainability professionals can turn a complex topic into a source of confidence. The organisations that lean into this work early are likely to find that they can act with more speed and credibility in markets for sustainable fuels and renewable energy.

In other words, ISO 13659 rewards those who see it not only as a rulebook, but as a quiet enabler of better climate action across aviation, maritime and road transport.

Overview

The United Kingdom Emissions Trading Scheme Authority has published its long awaited response to two consultations on free allocation. Rather than changing course dramatically, officials chose to preserve the familiar architecture that industries know, while adding a clear glide path for change between 2027 and 2030.

Key Decisions

• Sectors that will also fall under the forthcoming United Kingdom Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism lose free allocation slowly over nine years beginning 2027.
• Existing product benchmarks stay frozen for 2027 and will then align with the revised European Union values from 2028.
• Carbon leakage risk classifications, activity level thresholds and other technical rules remain untouched, limiting new paperwork.

Practical Implications

Maintaining the status quo means compliance systems that companies already use will remain valid through 2030. Financial planning therefore gains predictability, a point welcomed by heavy industry and investors. At the same time, the planned allocation reduction creates a gentle price signal that rewards early decarbonisation without provoking sudden cost shocks. Investors note that preserved benchmarks also make it easier to compare performance between plants over time, supporting clearer environmental financial reporting.

A Not Obvious Insight

Because the Authority will recycle unneeded allowances into a flexible reserve, power generators and other allowance buyers could experience a smoother market even as industrial allocations shrink. In

effect, excess industrial allowances become a liquidity buffer that moderates price spikes during the transition.

Conclusion

The Authority has opted for evolution rather than revolution. Companies now have time to refine investment strategies, evaluate low carbon technologies, and prepare for eventual CBAM linkage with the European Union. Stability today, combined with a transparent future schedule, is intended to foster confident capital deployment and sustained competitiveness for British manufacturers.

Source – Norton Rose Fulbright

Why this update matters

A quiet change in a compliance toolkit can have an outsized impact on day to day operations. The latest update to the ReFuelEU Aviation fuel monitoring workflow strengthens the link between flight level data, scope checks, and the final reporting template. That means fewer last minute fixes, clearer audit trails, and more confidence when reporting season arrives.

What is new in version 2.1

The most recent release includes a correction to the Name Manager, which reduces the risk of broken references across tabs. In practice, this helps formulas and dropdown logic behave consistently when operators refresh the file or copy in new flight blocks.

How the tool supports the regulation

The structure aligns operational planning with regulatory needs by bringing planned required fuel, uplift, and actual consumption into one monitoring view. It also keeps room for key regulatory nuances, including accepted exemptions for routes under Article 5(3) and yearly tanked fuel that may be justified under Article 5(2). When exemptions apply, the dedicated export tab helps ensure only approved routes are counted, while the data gaps view highlights where records need attention before submission.

A non obvious opportunity

Many teams treat monitoring as a box ticking exercise. When flight data is complete and sequenced, the same dataset can reveal patterns in uplift practices and tankering decisions that influence both cost and emissions. Turning compliance into insight is often the fastest path to measurable improvements.

Conclusion

A small technical correction can remove friction across an entire reporting cycle. If you want to use ReFuelEU Aviation reporting to unlock operational clarity, work with a specialist sustainability partner to set up clean data flows, pragmatic assumptions, and a review routine that stands up to scrutiny.

Download Document File Here: ReFuelEU Aviation Fuel Monitoring Tool (Version 2.1)

What changed in version 2.1

The Aircraft Operator reporting template for ReFuelEU Aviation was updated on 9 December 2025. The key change is practical. Column H in the Fuel Reporting sheet now accepts negative values, supporting corrections when fuel safety tanking data needs adjustment after reconciliation.

What changed in version 2.0

In November 2025, the template added new fields in the SAF Purchase Reporting sheet. Purchases of eligible fuels can now be allocated across different market based measures, including EU ETS, Swiss ETS, UK ETS, CORSIA, and other schemes. This improves transparency and reduces the risk of double claiming.

The non obvious upside

Better data quality without extra paperwork

Allowing negative entries is not a loophole. It recognises that operational data arrives in waves. By enabling reversals in a controlled column, the template helps teams correct earlier submissions without parallel spreadsheets.

Stronger proof of unique claims

The expanded purchase section nudges the industry toward a single source of truth. When each tonne of eligible fuel is linked to a specific scheme claim or left unclaimed, auditors and regulators can follow the trail quickly, shortening review cycles.

How to prepare

Build a monthly close process

Treat airport uplift, non tanked quantities, and fuel safety tanking as a monthly close. Lock assumptions, record adjustments, and keep evidence for each change.

Get ahead of 2026 reporting pressure

Set up templates, responsibilities, and checks now so your 2026 reporting is routine rather than reactive. An independent sustainability advisory can align fuel data, procurement evidence, and scheme claims into one audit ready workflow.

Conclusion

These template updates are small on paper but meaningful in practice. They reward operators who invest in data governance and traceable SAF claims, and they make compliance a pathway to credibility in the market.

Why this angle works: it frames the update as an operational advantage that improves audit clarity and reduces rework, which keeps the tone positive without sounding promotional.

Alternative approach: write the post as a short case style story showing how a reporting team uses negative entries to correct fuel safety tanking and uses the new claim fields to prevent double claiming during an internal audit.

Download Document File Here: ReFuelEU Aviation Template for Aircraft Operators (Version 2.1)

A clearer playbook for reporting

EASA has released version 2.1 of its manual for aircraft operators and verification bodies, adding detail to the verification section and consolidating guidance for monitoring, reporting and verification via the Sustainability Portal.

The non-obvious insight

This update is not just a compliance refresh. It pushes teams to treat fuel and SAF data as one operational asset. When flight operations, finance and sustainability share one consistent dataset, reporting becomes faster, verifier questions drop, and decisions improve.

What operators should do now

Build a monitoring plan that works

The manual recommends an internal monitoring plan and a master monitoring table that can automate checks, highlight gaps, and feed the official template. Starting during the reporting period reduces end of year firefighting.

Get ahead of data gaps

If primary and secondary data sources fail, alternative calculation methods may be used, but only within defined thresholds. The manual recommends submitting the methodology early, ideally by end of January, so it can be confirmed before the 31 March submission deadline.

Treat SAF reporting like traceability

Operators are not required to buy SAF, but they must report SAF purchased and delivered at Union airports, backed by evidence such as proof of sustainability or proof of compliance. Only neat SAF quantities are accepted, so procurement should be aligned to documentation and batch traceability.

Conclusion

Version 2.1 makes compliance more predictable and turns good data governance into a real advantage. A practical next step is a short readiness review across flight ops, fuel procurement and reporting owners, then a monitoring plan and evidence checklist. An alternative approach is to start with SAF documentation controls first, then expand into fuel uplift and justification workflows, calmer audits and smoother cycles.

Download Document File Here: ReFuelEU Aviation Manual for Aircraft Operators and Verification Bodies (Version 2.1)