What is Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)?
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) describes non-conventional jet fuels produced from more sustainable resources (also referred to as feedstocks). While producing conventional jet fuel involves fossil fuel extraction, SAF production relies on alternative feedstocks which can, for example, be from waste materials from forestry and agriculture, used cooking oil, and beyond.
SAF has three main characteristics: (1) SAF is sustainably produced without depleting natural resources; (2) it’s made from alternative materials instead of crude oil; and (3) it’s compatible with existing aircraft infrastructure – making it a safe, easy substitute for conventional jet fuel.
While SAF still represents less than 0.1% of global aviation fuel today, it is anticipated to play a meaningful role in decarbonizing aviation – particularly in the short and medium-term while frontier technologies like electric planes and hydrogen propulsion continue to mature to the point of commercial use.
When you support SAF to address your carbon footprint, SkyNRG - a global pioneer in Sustainable Aviation Fuel, will ensure that the appropriate amount of SAF is used to replace traditional fossil jet fuel on a commercial flight.
What do I pay for when I purchase SAF?
You pay for the CO2 reduction impact of SAF. SAF significantly reduces CO2 emissions compared to fossil fuel, but it is more expensive. This price difference is paid by you and an airline, so the total costs are shared and lower for everyone.
What is a carbon offset, or a carbon credit?
Carbon offsetting is a mechanism that enables individuals and organizations to advance climate action by supporting certified third-party projects that contribute to the reduction or removal of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Certified carbon projects issue carbon credits, which act as an instrument for selling or trading the project’s associated removal or reduction impact. Each carbon credit represents a single unit of GHG emissions (being one (1) tonne carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e)) that is reduced or removed from the atmosphere or the carbon cycle and that would not have taken place without the prospect of selling such carbon credits. A unit of GHG emissions can be reduced or removed through various methods or project types.
The purchase of a carbon credit enables the buyer to contribute to these certified carbon projects, and one often purchases credits in an amount equivalent to an estimated carbon footprint. This act of “carbon offsetting” provides financing for these certified carbon projects.
A carbon project's ability to issue carbon credits depends on a set of rigorous conditions – in order for a project to issue credits, the emission reductions or removals must be validated as additional, measurable, auditable, permanent, and unique.
How do you estimate my carbon emissions?
For flights – our CO2 emissions calculations are based on International Air Transport Association (IATA) Recommended Practice - RP 1726 and take into account parameters such as all scheduled flights, aircraft fuel consumption, seat configuration, and historical load factors for more than 400 airlines.
For buses – we use Google Maps as the engine to compute route distances, and emission factors are sourced by the UK Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors.
For trains - we use Google Maps as the engine to compute route distances, and the emission factors are from the European Environment Agency: average rail emissions in the EU per passenger-km (2014, published 2017).
Where does my financial contribution go?
We charge a small, fixed fee per transaction to build, manage and improve this platform. The rest of your contribution goes to supplying SAF in the coming months on your behalf and/or Carbon Offsets.
When I purchase SAF, does my plane fly on the fuel I bought?
Not per se and here’s why: When you address your carbon footprint by purchasing SAF, this fuel is used on an airplane that is near the place where the SAF is made, instead of being transported to the plane you are flying on. The advantage of this is that the fuel doesn’t have to be transported unnecessarily, which means less CO2 emissions and lower costs!
Since greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are a global problem, it doesn't really matter where the reduction in emissions occurs. The same principle is also applied to green electricity, where the green electricity does not necessarily come from your socket, but your energy supplier adds it to the entire grid on your behalf.
