“SAF is central to the decarbonization of the aviation sector,” believes Raman Ojha, president of Shell Aviation. “Having mentioned that, adoption and penetration of SAF hasn’t actually picked up massively. It is not as a result of lack of manufacturing capability, however there are many issues which are at play. And e book and declare in that context helps to bridge that hole.”
Bridging the hole with e book and declare
Guide and declare is a chain of custody mannequin, the place the circulate of administrative data just isn’t essentially linked to the bodily product by way of the provision chain (supply: ISO 22095:2020).
Guide and declare probably permits airways and firms to entry the life cycle GHG emissions discount advantages of SAF relative to standard jet gasoline even when SAF just isn’t bodily out there at their location; this mannequin helps bridge the hole between that concentrated provide and international demand, till SAF’s availability improves.
“To be daring, with out e book and declare, no short-term science-based goal will probably be achieved,” says Bettina Paschke, vp of ESG accounting, reporting and controlling at DHL Categorical. “Guide and declare is crucial to reaching science-based targets.”
“SAF manufacturing amenities are usually not in every single place,” she reiterates. “They’re very centered on one location, and if a buyer desires to fulfil a mass steadiness obligation, SAF would have to be shipped all over the world simply to be at that airport for that buyer. That might be very difficult, and really unrealistic.” It will additionally, counterintuitively, improve complete emissions. By utilizing e book and declare as a substitute, air freight operators can unlock the life cycle greenhouse fuel emissions discount advantages of SAF relative to standard jet gasoline now, with out ready for provide to broaden. “It would not be wanted when we now have SAF product amenities at every airport sooner or later,” she factors out. “However in the meanwhile, that’s not the case.”
At DHL itself, the mechanism has change into central to reaching its personal three interconnected sustainability pillars, which deal with decarbonizing logistics provide chains, supporting prospects towards their decarbonization objectives, and making certain credible emission claims could be shared alongside the worth chain.
Demonstrating the significance of a reputable and viable framework for e book and declare programs can also be what impressed the 2022 launch of Shell’s Avelia, one of many first blockchain-powered digital SAF e book and declare options for aviation, which expanded in 2024 to embody air freight along with enterprise journey. Relying on the providing, Avelia presents freight forwarders the chance to share the life cycle greenhouse fuel emissions discount advantages of SAF relative to standard jet gasoline throughout the worth chain with shippers utilizing their companies.
“It’s additionally backed by a bodily provide chain, which provides our prospects — whether or not these be corporates or freight forwarders and even airways — a peace of thoughts that the SAF has been injected at a sure airport, it’s been used and environmental attributes, with the assistance of blockchain, have been tracked to the place they’re getting retired,” says Ojha.
