The survey also illuminates five key areas that the aviation industry should address moving forward:
1. It is important that airlines send clear market signals now, notifying current or potential suppliers of the importance of sustainability certification. Failure to engage today and send clear signals risks exposure for all parties in the future once these supplies begin to scale.
2. Airlines should make a public commitment to source 100 percent certified sustainable biofuel by 2015, or as soon as they initiate biofuel purchases if this occurs later than 2015. The Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels is an international, multistakeholder standard organization that has developed a feedstock and technology neutral global standard for biofuel sustainability, covering all aspects of the supply chain. It is the only fully qualified biofuels standard of the ISEAL Alliance, an international organization that helps to ensure best practices in standards organizations and certifications systems. As a global and robust standard, we believe it is the premier biofuels certification standard available in the market today and recommend its principal use in aviation biofuel sourcing.
3. Airlines should be transparent about the volumes, greenhouse gas profile and sustainable certification used in aviation biofuel sourcing.
4. Airlines intending to use biofuels should join the RSB and become directly engaged members. As large volume buyers with a direct stake in the quality and credibility of the sustainability standards applied to their fuel supply chains, airlines should be more directly engaged.
5. The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group member airlines have played a leadership role — and sent a positive market signal — by indicating their early support for the RSB; however, the RSB is now operational, generating certifications and winning government recognition. It is important for SAFUG members to now take the next logical step and commit to using RSB sustainability certification for their procurement of biofuels if they are to prompt real market development, solidify their leadership position and reap the benefits of their early commitments.
The aviation biofuel industry is only just emerging, but the pace of activity toward commercializing these fuels is accelerating. Over just the past few days, we’ve had announcements by SkyNRG regarding its recent RSB certification and KLM regarding its plans to use sustainable biofuel from SkyNRG on a regular basis from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. These flights will be running partially on used cooking oil — a waste product — that has been processed into fuel with the same characteristics as petroleum-based jet fuel. These are positive signs that the industry is moving in the right direction.
It’s more important than ever that we build on the actions of these early adopters.
As the marketplace develops, NRDC will publish airline names and their progress towards sourcing certified sustainable biofuels. Now is a critical time to examine development and sourcing activities and to help create a central role for sustainable practices and sustainability certification in the development of the industry. This will benefit all stakeholders, helping to ensure that biofuels deliver on their promise to become a viable and sustainable aviation fuel solution in the long term.
This piece originally appeared on the Natural Resources Defense Council Staff Blog and is reprinted with permission.
Jet fueling image by André Klaassen via Shutterstock
