In our increasingly interconnected world, the hum of an airplane soaring overhead isn’t just the sound of travel; it’s often the sound of global commerce in motion. Air freight has become an indispensable backbone of supply chains, delivering everything from life-saving medicines to the latest tech gadgets with unparalleled speed. But as we accelerate towards a future demanding greater environmental responsibility, the carbon footprint of those very flights has become a pressing concern. For companies shipping goods, or those providing air freight services, the question isn’t whether to reduce emissions, but how – effectively and scalably.
Enter Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) – a game-changer with the potential to dramatically cut lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 80% compared to conventional jet fuel. It’s a powerful tool, but like any nascent technology, its widespread physical availability can be a hurdle. This is where a clever, collaborative model called “book and claim” steps in, offering a vital bridge between ambition and actionable impact. It’s a mechanism that leaders across the industry, from fuel suppliers to logistics giants and standard-setters, are championing as a critical enabler for decarbonizing the skies.
The Urgency of Air Freight Decarbonization
Think about it: that urgent package, those time-sensitive components, or fresh produce reaching your plate from across the globe – all rely heavily on air transport. This reliance, while beneficial for business and consumers, comes with a significant environmental cost. As global trade continues its upward trajectory, so too does the demand for air freight, making its emissions profile a growing challenge.
Companies today aren’t just facing external pressure; they’re setting ambitious internal climate goals. Shippers want to assure their customers that their supply chains are becoming greener. Freight forwarders are looking for ways to offer more sustainable services, differentiating themselves in a competitive market. The industry is at a crossroads, where operational efficiency must now go hand-in-hand with environmental stewardship. Simply put, reducing air freight emissions isn’t just a ‘nice-to-have’ anymore; it’s a ‘must-do’.
SAF stands out as the most promising immediate solution. Unlike electric or hydrogen-powered flight for large-scale cargo, which is still decades away for commercial viability, SAF can be used in existing aircraft engines with minimal or no modifications. It’s a drop-in fuel, making it immediately scalable from a technical standpoint. However, the true bottleneck has been, and largely remains, its production volume and distribution infrastructure. This is precisely the challenge that innovative frameworks like book and claim are designed to address.
Demystifying Book and Claim: A Smart Path to SAF Adoption
Imagine wanting to support a local farmer who uses sustainable practices, but their produce isn’t always available at your nearest supermarket. What if you could still financially support them, helping them expand their sustainable efforts, even if you sometimes buy from another source? That’s a simplified way to think about book and claim for SAF.
In aviation, book and claim offers companies a way to financially back the use of SAF, even when that specific sustainable fuel isn’t physically pumped into their particular flight at their specific location. It’s a crucial distinction, decoupling the financial support for SAF from its direct, physical delivery to a particular aircraft. This model addresses the real-world complexities of SAF production and distribution networks, which are still in their early stages.
How it Works in Practice
Here’s the breakdown: a SAF producer sells a certain quantity of SAF to a fuel supplier. That supplier then makes the SAF available at a specific airport where it *is* physically available. A company (let’s say a freight forwarder or a shipper) wishing to reduce their air freight emissions can then ‘claim’ a portion of that SAF. They pay for the environmental attributes associated with that SAF – the certified emission reductions it represents – even if their own cargo flight departs from an airport where SAF isn’t yet physically offered.
This financial support directly drives the demand and, critically, the investment in SAF production. It helps producers scale up, knowing there’s a market willing to pay for the environmental benefits. The environmental attributes are ‘booked’ by the SAF producer and ‘claimed’ by the company supporting it, ensuring no double counting of emissions reductions. It’s an elegant solution to a complex logistical problem, allowing capital to flow towards sustainability even when the physical supply chain isn’t perfectly aligned.
This approach significantly expands the accessibility of SAF. Instead of waiting for SAF to be physically available at every single airport worldwide (a scenario that could take many years), companies can immediately begin contributing to the decarbonization effort. It transforms SAF from a niche offering at select hubs into a more broadly accessible option, accelerating the overall shift towards sustainable aviation.
A Collaborative Flight Plan: Shippers, Forwarders, and the Future of SAF
The beauty of the book and claim model is its inclusivity. It empowers both freight forwarders and shippers to play an active role in the transition to SAF, each from their unique vantage point. For freight forwarders, like DHL Express, leveraging book and claim for SAF is becoming a cornerstone of their ESG strategy. Leaders like Bettina Paschke, VP ESG Accounting, Reporting & Controlling at DHL Express, are spearheading efforts to ensure reliable book and claim transactions, integrating them into robust carbon accounting and reporting frameworks.
By offering SAF options through book and claim, freight forwarders can provide their customers – the shippers – with verifiable ways to reduce their Scope 3 emissions. This not only meets customer demand for greener logistics but also positions the forwarder as an innovative, responsible partner. They become facilitators of sustainability, helping a multitude of clients achieve their climate goals without the logistical headache of tracking physical SAF delivery for every individual shipment.
Shippers, on the other hand, gain a direct pathway to impact. Whether they’re a small e-commerce business or a multinational corporation, they can allocate a portion of their freight budget to support SAF through the book and claim model. This directly translates into financial contributions that stimulate greater SAF production, thereby lowering the overall emissions of the aviation sector. It’s a tangible way for a company to walk the talk on sustainability, demonstrating commitment beyond just setting targets.
The Industry Voices: Learnings from the Leaders
The conversation around book and claim isn’t just theoretical; it’s driven by practical experience and foresight from industry stalwarts. Raman Ojha, President of Shell Aviation, brings deep expertise from the fuel supply side, understanding the intricacies of scaling production and delivering lower carbon solutions globally. Shell, through initiatives like Avelia (developed with partners like Amex GBT and Accenture), is actively creating solutions that enable companies to access the benefits of SAF via book and claim.
Christoph Wolff, CEO at Smart Freight Centre, plays a critical role in establishing the frameworks and standards necessary for book and claim to operate credibly and transparently. His organization focuses on programs that ensure sustainability in freight transport, meaning they’re instrumental in defining how companies can accurately measure and report their emission reductions when using such models. This collaboration between fuel suppliers, logistics providers, and standard-setting bodies is essential for building trust and widespread adoption.
These leaders underscore a fundamental truth: no single entity can decarbonize air freight alone. It requires a collaborative ecosystem where innovation in fuel production meets robust accounting practices and universally accepted standards. Book and claim is a testament to this collaborative spirit, providing a mechanism that bridges diverse needs and capabilities across the supply chain.
Charting a Sustainable Course: The Bigger Picture
The journey to fully decarbonized air freight is long, but book and claim offers a powerful accelerator. It’s not just a stopgap; it’s a strategic tool that catalyzes investment in SAF, increases its demand, and ultimately helps drive down its cost as production scales. By enabling immediate action, it buys critical time for the industry to further develop SAF technologies, expand production facilities, and build out the necessary infrastructure for physical delivery.
The transparency and robust accounting frameworks being developed around book and claim are paramount. This ensures that every claim of emissions reduction is legitimate and contributes meaningfully to global climate goals. As more companies engage with this model, the collective impact grows exponentially, transforming the skies from a significant source of emissions into a pathway for sustainable global connectivity.
Ultimately, unlocking the full potential of SAF with book and claim isn’t just about financial transactions; it’s about fostering an ecosystem of sustainability. It’s about empowering businesses, large and small, to be part of the solution, demonstrating that economic growth and environmental responsibility can, and must, go hand in hand. The future of air freight is not just fast; it’s becoming sustainably fast, one book and claim transaction at a time.
