Book & Claim: Unlocking SAF Supply Today

by Jefferson dos Santos Estevo* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The last episode of the webinar hosted by the Roundtable for Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) was about a relatively new topic called Book and Claim (BC). This is an innovative method, still in its very early stages, but one of the alternatives for the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). Due to the limited availability of SAF, which is only available in a few countries, the idea of BC is a solution for facilitating a market where there is high demand and low supply.

In an explanatory video presented at the beginning, the idea of BC was introduced. In general terms, the concept is to offer the possibility of using SAF without it being available at your location. In this way, an airline that wishes to reduce its emissions can buy or book SAF - Book -, which will be used at another airport, any aircraft, but the sustainability credits, that is, the entire production chain, will belong to the company - Claim -, even without using the SAF in one of its aircraft.

As in the other episodes, Hannah Walker from RSB is the presenter of the webinar. She starts by inviting Adam Klauber, vice president of sustainability at World Energy, a company which produces and delivers SAF. In his initial remarks, Klauber explains how BC works, as already mentioned here.

He reinforced the idea that this method is not just for airlines but for various parties, among other companies. This is recognized as Scope 3, where indirect GHG emissions occur in the company's value chain. The example comes from Microsoft, a partner of the webinar, which uses BC to reduce indirect emissions. In this way, the company, in seeking emissions reductions that are not directly related to its services, can use BC for emission reductions. In this example, although the company does not operate aircraft, it aims to participate in the energy transition of the sector by purchasing certificates via BC for flights taken by its executives, even if these flights may not necessarily use SAF

In an explanation of the BC system, Klauber uses the example of using a credit card. There is no physical money exchanged, but we can all buy things and pay for them later, relying on the trust between banks and people. In this way, BC is a process where multiple parties can participate, from organizations like RSB and other non-profits; through companies that use Scope 3, such as Google, Microsoft, DHL, etc.; also airlines; and finally fuel suppliers; collaborating for the development of SAF.

Of the various stakeholders involved, Klauber explains the importance of certification, detailing exactly who is involved and who receives the certificates, which are called Book & Claim Units (BCU) by the RSB. The generation of these units is quite complex, avoiding fraud and double counting, and clarifying the owners of the Claim. He expounded that certificates are needed throughout the production chain, establishing criteria and verifying sustainability issues to ensure the BCU is valid, which builds trust among the parties. BC in World Energy is such a recent initiative, started in 2020 in a partnership between RSB, Microsoft, Alaska, and SkyEnergy, that it still has much room for improvement and advancement in its availability.

The second guest speaker was Julia Fidler from Microsoft's sustainability team. Her presentation addressed the importance of systems like BC for a company that wishes and needs to reduce emissions. She emphasized the importance of various sustainable actions for a multinational like Microsoft, ranging from emission reductions and water usage monitoring to achieving zero waste.

For the company, Scope 3, or indirect emissions, such as component manufacturing or executive travel, account for 96.5% of the company's emissions, which requires differentiated actions like BC. Fidler highlights that the company has been dedicated to researching and developing SAF since 2019, seeking solutions like BC over the years.

In the final segment, the webinar featured Gill Alker, BC manager at RSB. Echoing Klauber's final remarks, she emphasized the importance of trust in the BC process. This means that throughout the production chain, as seen in previous webinars, meticulous attention must be taken with the entire process, with certifications from reliable companies. Sustainability must be certified from the beginning, in the raw materials, transportation, and refueling.

The RSB has developed a manual for the use of BC and an online platform, offering this system to requesting companies. According to Alker, since 2021, starting with a pilot program, there were seven initiatives the following year, and this year they are developing the BC system for maritime as well. The idea is to develop more partnerships to further advance this system. Finally, she explained the RSB BC program on the website https://rsb.org/programmes/book-and-claim/, which is open for participation from new companies and partners.

In summary, this final webinar in the RSB series addressed a model still in its early stages, BC, which will be essential for the aviation energy transition. Since the production and distribution of SAF is still very limited, centralized in a few countries and airports, BC offers a crucial solution. Besides airlines, other companies can use this method in Scope 3, as demonstrated by Microsoft in this webinar.

The four episodes are essential for understanding SAF and its operation, being of great importance for those who wish to learn more about this topic, which is quite new in the field of climate change. In the initial video, a comprehensive overview was provided on the fundamental concepts of SAF, encompassing its production methods and applications.

Subsequently, the discussion focused on detailing the principal raw materials and production processes involved in SAF, highlighting its nascent stage and the current constraints in raw material availability, which have led to limited production capacity. Furthermore, the last two webinars explored emerging strategies, such as Power To X and Book and Claim, aimed at addressing the challenges in scaling up production and distribution of sustainable fuels. Collectively, these sessions made significant contributions to advancing understanding and knowledge in the field.

*Post-doctoral researcher in Political Science at the Federal University of Goias, Brazil. Fellow of CNPQ and FAPEG jeffersonestevo@ufg.br