Corporate Support Could Triple SAF Purchases by 2030

Purchases of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by companies seeking to meet Scope 3 emissions objectives for business travel could drive up to a sixfold increase in output. In a study entitled SAF Environmental Attribute Certificate Market (EAc) published last week, IATA—along with Airbus and technology consultants Accenture—estimated that corporate purchases on this basis could support between 1 million and 1.9 million metric tons of SAF by 2030.

However, although this is significantly higher than the estimated 323,000 tons of SAF produced in 2024 for the EAc market, the study cautioned that “factors limiting corporate participation,” such as unclear accounting rules, high prices, and purchasing complexity, must be addressed to enable full demand. This year, all SAF production is expected to total 2.4 million tons, which is just 0.8% of all jet fuel.

Specifically, IATA believes that companies would benefit from being able to offset SAF purchases against their Scope 3 emissions. Although these lifecycle carbon dioxide emissions are not directly produced by the company itself, an organization is still indirectly responsible for their climate impact. Presently, there is no definitive method for SAF book-and-claim methods to offset a company’s Scope 3 emissions

According to IATA’s senior v-p sustainability and chief economist Marie Thomsen, “the potential [for the EAc market] is substantial, but it will only be realized if companies can participate with confidence.” She called for a “simple and credible” process to help unlock investment, grow SAF demand and help accelerate production so that “every additional corporate purchase converts climate ambition into real market demand.” 

SAF EAc purchases generally cost between $150 and $500 for each tone of CO2 emissions abated. According to the IATA researchers, companies have indicated they could be willing to pay around $300.