The National Wildlife Federation and the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels on March 8 announced a milestone in the sustainable biofuels industry and commercial air travel. A new KLM Royal Dutch Airlines route between Amsterdam and New York’s JFK is the first ever to use RSB-certified fuel.

The fuel is supplied by SkyNRG, the first worldwide biofuel operator to achieve the RSB certification for their entire supply chain—“from feedstock to flight.” SkyNRG is the only fuel operator that can supply sustainable jet fuel into wing at any airport in the world. The inaugural flight and this new RSB biofuels route demonstrate that there is a market for next-generation, sustainable biofuels

“We are pleased that a full supply chain for RSB certified jet fuel is now available for regular use in commercial aviation,” said Barbara Bramble, chair of the board of the RSB and head of the International Climate and Energy Program at the National Wildlife Federation. “Congratulations to SkyNRG for achieving certification under the RSB system, which NWF believes provides the best assurance of biofuels’ sustainability.  SkyNRG can now assist airlines around the world to fulfill their pledges to reduce carbon emissions while meeting environmental and social safeguards.”

Air travel is a large and growing contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Shifting to sustainable biofuels will not only make air travel greener, but also provide another option other than simply buying carbon offsets.  

SkyNRG makes use of a variety of feedstock options, especially those that do not use or displace food crops. RSB certification provides assurance that biofuel production safeguards vital wildlife habitat like the grassland prairies of the U.S. and the ecologically important rainforests in the Amazon.