Implementing Successful Public Policies to Shape the Sustainable Future of the Aviation Industry

by Carolina Grassi, with Arianna Baldo, Cris Robertson, Elena Schmidt & Hannah Walker (Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) This White Paper is an outcome of the RSB SAF Policy Platform. The platform is a place for RSB’s members – from industry to civil society — to work together, discuss and provide recommendations on how to implement and ensure sustainable practices within the growing coverage of legislation to regulate Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production and use.

Now is the time to commit to a new path towards sustainability that involves instilling, promoting and investing in a bio-based and circular economy. As part of this bio-based transition, unsustainable practices that depend on the use of non-renewable resources are
gradually replaced with renewable resources, materials and by-products are optimised for reuse instead of being a source of pollution, natural processes and environmental services are valued and combined in the search for more equitable development, and human dignity is ensured.

With the right research, investment and public policy, it is possible to develop an economy based on renewables and sustainable, bio-based and recycled carbon, characterised by:
• Sustainable carbon cycles,
• Resource efficiency,
• Inclusive and sustainable economic growth,
• Nature conservation,
• Inclusive governance,
• Social development and resilience, and
• Sustainable consumption

The production of SAF is determined by two major factors: the feedstock used, and the technology deployed to convert the feedstock into hydrocarbons. Both factors have an impact on the economic viability of production, and as a result, the supply and price of SAF on the
market.

Despite the preference for using waste and residues, these feedstocks are limited, requiring the development and improvement of new technologies to expand the production of non-food crop alternative fuels. Furthermore, different regions have different aptitudes and
feedstock availability. Similarly, different SAF producers use different technologies to produce the fuel. Prioritising a single type of feedstock or technology comes with risks for both the sourcing region and the supply chain. The demand for alternative fuels is expected to rise by 28% over the next five years [1]. This high demand and competitive pressure for feedstock among the various sectors (road, aviation, marine and chemical sectors, for instance)can lead to supply instability and tends to raise feedstock prices. This implies serious risks to SAF production, such as soaring prices that are incompatible with the market and its fossil equivalent; and can also lead to food insecurity due to rising feedstock prices and competition with food production

As a result, it is critical to ensure that SAF production is sustainable – not by restricting feedstocks or technology, but by assessing the risks inherent in technological processes and implementing mitigation measures, and going beyond mitigation measures to look at positive impacts that can be achieved by investing in the bioeconomy. These positive impacts can be created through the use of a holistic sustainability framework that supports improved agricultural practices (for instance in soil or water management) that increase food security and advance conservation. In this way, the sector can have the flexibility to choose the type of raw materials to be used and sourcing region of feedstocks, while still having the capacity to develop new technologies for the production of advanced or first-generation fuels, depending on what is most efficient and sustainable. Here, all RSB Principles are relevant.

However, it is now presumed that, given the right conditions based on a robust sustainability framework, alternative fuels can be an effective way to increase food security. The following are examples demonstrate how operations that produce alternative fuels can positively impact the food security [2]:

• Improve food productivity and storage – The operation can provide additional land for food production to the community, as well as make technical expertise and inputs more accessible. The operation can also contribute to technical transfer of knowledge on how to reduce the size and duration of food shortfalls through the introduction of new crops, or contribute to a better application of inputs, such as irrigation.

•Stimulate local markets – The operation itself can produce more food for sale or new demands from the operation can stimulate local farmers to produce more foodstuffs for sale.

• Increase food access – The operation can ensure that workers receive fair wages which allows them to purchase food to meet their nutritional needs. The operations improving the local infrastructure (e.g., roads), increasing the food accessibility.

• Improve food utilisation – The operation can improve the access to clean water for drinking and cooking, as well as improve the sanitation and storage facilities. The fuels produced can also be used as the energy source for improved cooking stoves, reducing smoke-related respiratory illness (a result of wood stove usage) and improving cooking efficiency.