A new, international global standard for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has been developed by Evident, a world leader in energy attribute certificates (EACs). An agreement announced Sept. 21 sees World Energy, the first commercial-scale producer of sustainable aviation fuel, become the earliest user for this global certification scheme for SAF, named Fly-i, marking a new era of transparency in green air travel. 

Fly-i will work in a similar way to the procurement of renewable energy certificates (RECs), acting as a guarantee that an airline has purchased a certain proportion of sustainable fuel. This certification will also incentivize the aviation industry and customers around the world to fly green by creating a market for transparent, clean flying. Fly-i will remove risks such as double counting by linking ownership claims with specific physical SAF volumes. 

SAF is critical in the decarbonization journey of the aviation industry. It is a liquid fuel which has the potential to reduce commercial aviation emissions by over 80 percent. This cleaner-burning biofuel can be produced from many sources, including waste oil and fats, municipal waste, and sustainable cover crops. ICAO, the United Nations aviation group, has stated SAF will be the single largest climate solution for aircraft. 

World Energy, the world's first commercial-scale producer of SAF, will be piloting Evident’s global registry as the immutable record for production-to-use-to-claim of its product through the Fly-i digital certificate. Evident’s current global certificate standards include I-REC(E), the world’s most geographically used electricity attribute certificate. Now, Evident’s independent governance structure and global network of partners and customers will provide the transparency needed for the SAF industry to grow. 

Evident is a member of the Roundtable for Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), joining its SAF Policy Platform. Thanks to these insights, Evident can physically track every stage of the SAF journey from creation to use, ensuring that SAF environmental benefit owners will see every credit transfer and be confident that emission reduction claims are valid.   

Adam Klauber, vice president sustainability and digital supply chain of World Energy said, “Our customers will trust Evident, with more than two decades as a registry host. Evident’s approach combines ease of use with robust safeguards. Fly-i eliminates double counting, provides verification with actual physical supply chain data, and avoids blockchain technology’s complications.”

Evident’s CEO Ed Everson said, “We are finally tackling one of the biggest challenges in this climate crisis; making international travel greener. As flying is a huge part of our globally connected society, we must ensure that we are contributing to the roll-out and certification of cleaner fuels, such as SAF. We are delighted to welcome World Energy as the first fuel producer to adopt Fly-i, providing transparency to their customers across the aviation industry.”