IATA and 123Carbon Partner to Enhance SAF Management and Decarbonisation Efforts
The aviation industry continues to make strides towards its sustainability goals, and a key partnership between the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and 123Carbon is set to enhance the management of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). This collaboration aims to optimise SAF certificate management, foster transparency, and prevent discrepancies, such as duplicate emissions reporting. The IATA SAF Registry, which is slated to launch in April 2025, will benefit from the integration of 123Carbon’s platform, which already supports over 50 global users in their environmental certification processes.
The partnership between IATA, the global trade body for airlines, and 123Carbon, an independent platform for carbon offsetting across various transportation modes, is designed to provide a robust framework for SAF registry interoperability. By ensuring seamless data exchange between different SAF registries, the two organisations will create a more reliable and transparent system for tracking SAF usage and environmental attributes. One of the main goals of the collaboration is to facilitate a streamlined process for issuing, managing, and transferring Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs) associated with SAF. EACs serve as a crucial tool in documenting the environmental impact of SAF, and the new system will help avoid the risks of duplicate certificate issuance, which could undermine the effectiveness of aviation’s decarbonisation efforts.
Marie Owens Thomsen, Senior Vice President of Sustainability and Chief Economist at IATA, emphasised that transparency is key to building trust in the aviation sector’s sustainability efforts. “The transparency that comes with interoperability will ensure that our registries can function cohesively to maximise SAF’s potential to support aviation’s decarbonisation,” she said. Thomsen further stressed that the more registry providers align, the greater the potential for SAF to play a significant role in reducing aviation’s carbon footprint. 123Carbon’s Managing Director, Jeroen van Heiningen, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the importance of integrity and trust in the growing market for Environmental Attribute Certificates. “With IATA, we have found a strong partner in the aviation sector that shares our beliefs. This collaboration allows SAF providers, airlines, freight forwarders, and corporate entities to utilise our platforms without the concern of duplicate issuance, whilst managing their SAF certificates digitally,” van Heiningen explained.
This partnership will extend beyond IATA and 123Carbon, with the two organisations calling for other stakeholders within the SAF ecosystem to join the initiative. By engaging with more players in the sector, they aim to create a comprehensive framework for managing SAF certificates and ensuring consistent data sharing across registries. The initiative is expected to enhance the broader adoption of SAF in aviation, supporting the sector’s decarbonisation objectives and ensuring that the industry can meet its climate goals. The IATA SAF Registry, set for launch in April 2025, will be pivotal in standardising the market for SAF certificates. Once launched, it will simplify the process for fuel suppliers, fleet operators, forwarders, and cargo owners by providing a centralised system for tracking and transferring environmental attributes related to SAF. This development is expected to further support the adoption of SAF and its integration into the global aviation supply chain.
To support the launch of the IATA SAF Registry, IATA has also released the IATA SAF Accounting and Reporting Methodology, which outlines the procedures and standards for SAF usage and certificate management. The project is backed by over 50 organisations, including airlines, fuel producers, and state authorities, all of whom are working together to ensure that the launch of the registry goes smoothly and that it delivers a robust and effective solution for the aviation industry’s sustainability needs. Through this partnership, IATA and 123Carbon are taking significant steps towards ensuring that aviation can meet its decarbonisation targets, making SAF a central pillar in the industry’s efforts to reduce its environmental impact and build a more sustainable future.
