Learning Center

In part two of our examination of the SAF lifecycle analysis, we cover production concepts and the methodologies used to calculate emission reductions earlier in the chain of custody. This involves understanding a basic overview of various elements and specific approaches used to quantify the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions at different stages of the SAF production process.

The Lifecycle Analysis (LCA) is a comprehensive technique that estimates the environmental impact of a product, material, or service throughout its entire lifetime, including factors such as feedstock origin, electricity usage, supply chain distance, and production method, in order to determine the greenhouse gas emissions and carbon intensity of the fuel, known as "Well-to-Wake" (WTW) emissions.

4AIR explores the use of leveraging multiple incentives to reduce the green premium of SAF, emphasizing the role of policy incentives in driving down the cost disparity between SAF and conventional JetA.

4AIR conducted a first-of-its-kind study on business aviation's impact on non-CO2 emissions, focusing on contrails and NOx, revealing that a majority of contrail emissions and warming impact stemmed from a smaller subset of flights, utilizing data from 16,888 flights.

You can’t manage what isn’t measured. Measuring emissions is the first step in developing a defensible strategy for addressing the carbon footprint of any organization, including a corporate flight department.

To be truly climate neutral and reduce the complete impact aviation, the industry must comprehensively consider its entire footprint. Contrails and non-CO2 emissions make up to 2/3rds of aviation’s warming impact.

While the SEC is far from the first to propose regulated climate disclosures, it is demonstrating a sweeping and quick introduction of new climate change disclosure requirements, under which some entities will need to comply as soon as March of 2024.

As efforts to mitigate and curb emissions resulting from aviation continue to ramp up, there is an increasing focus towards addressing the high carbon dioxide (CO2) levels that are already in the atmosphere, as well as future residual emissions.

A rise of false or exaggerated environmental claims has led to strict guidance and regulation on marketing sustainability claims. It is important to be thoughtful and particular with any marketing claims related to sustainability achievements.

The benefits to CDOs are significant. For each group of CDOs used at an airport, the FAA estimates that operators save an average of 2 million gallons of fuel and eliminate 40 million pounds of emissions annually. And with the increased efficiency comes a reduced noise footprint, a more comfortable passenger experience, and potential increases in safety.

While the Middle East is known for its abundant reserves of fossil fuels, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) contains a significant opportunity for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and many participants are leading the way to diversify its energy mix and reduce carbon emissions.

Developing a comprehensive and defensible sustainability program that addresses either voluntary or regulatory commitments is quickly moving to a must-have for many flight departments and aircraft operators around the world. The two most common tools found in the arsenal to address climate change, industry goals, and regulatory obligations are Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and carbon credits.

ESG, or Environmental, Social, Governance, is a set of standards for a company’s operating behavior used by employees, lenders, customers, insurance providers, and regulators to evaluate a company’s good stewardship in society.

CORSIA, or Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, is expected to provide around $40 billion in funding for climate projects worldwide.

Emissions trading schemes (ETS) and carbon markets are complex systems. They are made no less complicated by the fact that many businesses operate across borders where different schemes may be in place.