ISCC introduces Credit Transfer System for sustainable aviation fuel

The International Sustainability and Carbon Certification System GmbH recently launched a new system enabling credible and traceable transfer of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) sustainability claims between suppliers, aircraft operators, logistics providers and end-customers in voluntary markets. 

The aviation industry, having committed to net-zero by 2050, is embarking on its ambitious decarbonization journey.

Not only airlines, but also logistic providers and end-customers are increasingly committed to reducing their carbon footprint from air transport and are looking to report and communicate their efforts in a transparent and credible way.

By many, the widespread adoption of SAF is recognized as a key lever to achieve the aviation sector’s emissions-reduction goals. 

Existing supply-chain certification systems validate the sustainability, greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions savings, and traceability of SAF from feedstock production until its delivery to the airport.

Until recently, however, there has been limited mechanisms to secure traceability and sustainability claims once SAF has been delivered.

This poses challenges for organizations wishing to reduce their emissions footprint from air travel and transport.

The lack of robust traceability mechanisms for SAF transactions increases the risk of insufficient traceability and the potential for inaccurate sustainability claims. 

The ISCC Credit Transfer System provides a solution to this challenge.

Collaborating closely with key stakeholders, including global leaders within the aviation industry, ISCC has developed the Credit Transfer System to trace SAF transactions and the related GHG-emission reductions after the SAF’s uplift at the airport.

Using the newly developed ISCC Registry as a secure and standardized online database, the transfer of SAF sustainability claims among stakeholders within the downstream value chain becomes possible.

With the new solution, SAF suppliers, aircraft operators, logistic providers and end-customers are given the means to credibly claim sustainability benefits related to the purchase and use of SAF towards their voluntary climate disclosures. 

“Joining forces with committed ISCC stakeholders and leveraging our vast experience in supply-chain certification has enabled us to create a future-forward solution,” said Thomas René Bock, ISCC’s senior system manager. “We intend for the ISCC Credit Transfer System to be a natural extension of existing supply-chain certification systems, bringing transparency to SAF transactions and claims—from fuel suppliers and airlines, all the way to end-customers.”

Susanne Bouma with SAF producer Neste added, “SAF is a key lever to reduce aviation emissions but to fully leverage its potential and accelerate SAF adoption in the voluntary market, it is critical for airlines, freight forwarders and shippers, and corporate end-customers to be able to credibly report their SAF use and related emission reductions. The ISCC Credit Transfer System provides additional credibility and transparency and can play a crucial role in enabling trust and confidence in SAF as an easy and credible solution to reduce emissions.”

The ISCC Credit Transfer System has been designed to closely align with requirements set by the Science Based Targets initiative and Greenhouse Gas Protocol accounting standards.

Created as a plug-and-play solution, it builds upon established and internationally recognized supply-chain certification systems for SAF.

Utilizing the ISCC Registry, organizations are able to transfer SAF claims while mitigating the risk of incorrect sustainability claims and likelihood of double counting SAF-emission reductions. 

“Our DHL GoGreen Plus services use CO2-insetting and SAF to enable our customers to reduce the CO2e emissions associated with their shipments,” said Bettina Paschke, an executive at DHL Express. “We are keen to promote confidence in our customers who claim their CO2 reductions resulting from investments in low-emission transport services and SAF. The ISCC Registry’s end-to-end tracking ensures that emission reductions are transferred reliably, transparently and safely along the value chain. Its rigorous methodology is essential for reaching SBTi goals within the aviation sector and for airline customers.”

Committed to being at the forefront of supporting SAF-market scale up in a way that is transparent, robust and practical, ISCC said it recognizes the rapidly evolving nature of the SAF market and the associated accounting and reporting standards.

ISCC said it will continue to actively engage and collaborate with leading stakeholders and industry platforms to continuously develop the ISCC Credit Transfer System as well as the broader ecosystem.  

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