3 September 2025
On 2 September 2025, we hosted the 5th ISCC Technical Stakeholder Meeting – Sustainable Aviation Fuels (ISCC TC SAF) with more than 360 participants joining us from around the globe! Bringing together partners from the aviation and fuel sectors, policymakers, and certification experts, we strengthened collaboration for a more sustainable future of air transportation.
The meeting opened with a warm welcome from ISCC TC SAF co-chairs Karin Jones (Director at Gevo), and Azim Bin Norazmi (Climate Policy Manager at IATA).
“While governments and policymakers continue to ramp up favourable policy support for SAF, we must continue to collaborate across industry stakeholders. (…) I think the goal here is to stimulate a global, large, transparent, and functioning SAF market. (…) At IATA, together with ISCC, we continue to seek further potential collaboration with all stakeholders.” says Azim Bin Norazmi from IATA.
ISCC Updates: ISCC CORSIA, Low Luc Risk Certification and ISCC Credit Transfer System
Dr. Dario Formenti, Senior Manager at ISCC, provided updates on ISCC certification solutions. Across the world, many SAF regulations already recognise ISCC, i.e. Canada Clean Fuel Regulation, UK SAF Mandate, ICAO CORSIA or EU RED (including ReFuel EU and EU ETS). The ISCC EU, ISCC PLUS, and ISCC CORSIA certification schemes are all viable options for SAF certification in different markets, with 579 organisations already certified under ISCC CORSIA. Despite most of SAF being produced from waste and residues, ISCC CORSIA provides options to use agricultural feedstocks as well. The Low LUC Risk Certification (LUC = Land Use Change) which already applies to palm, corn and sugarcane, offers an opportunity to decrease the carbon intensity of the final SAF. Additionally, new production pathways, e.g. eSAF, are now certifiable thanks to the ISCC EU recognition for RFNBOs (Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin).
The ISCC Credit Transfer System (CTS) and Registry, which was successfully launched in April 2024, was introduced by Adam Kirby, Senior Manager at ISCC. The CTS enables SAF suppliers, aircraft operators, logistics providers, and end-customers to confidently track and allocate sustainability benefits associated with SAF use, supporting their voluntary climate disclosures.
Industry Insights from DHL and JetZero
After the ISCC presentation, Bettina Paeschke, VP ESG Accounting, Reporting & Controlling at DHL, shared their ambitious 2030 climate target of reducing GHG emissions from 40 million metric tons CO2 to 29 million metric tons CO2, with a sub-target of 30% share of sustainable fuels in air and ocean freight, and road transport. In 2024, DHL has been one of the largest SAF users globally with a majority of its SAF being ISCC certified. For tracking emission reductions along the value chain, Bettina underlines that the registries are and will play an important role to ensure credibility of emission reduction claims.
Mac Irvin, CFO at JetZero Australia, presented different SAF projects across Australia, including the Ulysses ATJ Plant and Mandala HEFA Plant, which are strategically planned to upscale SAF production rapidly. The project Ulysses ATJ Plant is already in the FEED stage (Front-end engineering design) and has a target production of 113 million liter SAF per year.
Panel Discussion on the Global SAF Policy Landscape
The panel discussion, which was moderated by Azim Norazmi, reflected on the global SAF policy landscape which is evolving on all continents. In Europe, the ReFuelEU Aviation regulation sets ambitions climate goals, but Jens Schaak, Manager at Deutsche Lufthansa, also indicated obstacles such as a partly unclear regulation and SAF pricing. He says that “we need to ramp up RFNBO and eSAF production. This is a key challenge that needs to be tackled, and this needs more support on future policies. “ As highlighted by Ryan Backman-Flamerich (United Airlines) in the US, strong incentives introduced by the previous presidential administration, have attracted significant investment in domestic SAF production. Many of the incentives for SAF are still in place, although they have been reduced in value since the new presidential administration. Insights from Middle East, LATAM and Asian markets have been shared by Carlos Mauricio Garcia Arauz, Diego Martinez Del Rio Samper and Johnny Wei, respectively. Here, international collaboration, local SAF legislations and other alternative aviation fuels such as LCAF (Lower Carbon Aviation Fuels) are key pieces in the puzzle.
SAF Markets: Challenges and Opportunities
After the panel discussion, Suzanne Foti, Vice President Public Affair at Syzygy Plasmonics introduced NovaSAF which is based on innovative photocatalysis technology combining renewable electricity, biogenic CH4, and CO2. She emphasised that ISCC enables certification of novel technologies, supports early-stage methodology development, facilitates market access and regulatory compliance, and builds trust with stakeholders
Giulia Squadrin, Business Development Manager at Argus Media shared an analysis showing that mandates and incentives shape global SAF trade flows. EU and UK mandates are the main demand drivers, but national initiatives in the Asia-Pacific Region, EPA blend mandates and incentives for US SAF remain important as well. She estimated that the market could tighten beyond 2034 under current targets, highlighting the need for proactive scaling of production pathways.
Tony Derrien, Sustainable Aviation Fuels Program Manager at Airbus, outlined Airbus’ ambitious climate goals for 2030, including a 63% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 emissions compared to 2025 emissions. Airbus is committed to achieve this goal by shifting to decarbonised electricity, accelerate SAF usage in operations and pioneering innovative solutions for logistics. The company is planning a strategic approach supporting a worldwide ambition by integrating 10% SAF uptake at global level by 2030. Current challenges are a fragmented regulation framework, feedstock competition with other sectors, and volatility in prices. Airbus also confirmed plans to actively contribute to ISCC working groups, helping shape future sustainability standards.
The meeting concluded with closing remarks from the co-chairs, who highlighted our shared responsibility in shaping a global SAF market that is both sustainable and credible.
At ISCC, we remain committed to enabling robust certification, embracing innovation, and safeguarding transparency. A big thank you to all participants and speakers! Together with the industry, policymakers, and stakeholders worldwide, we can accelerate the transition toward a sustainable aviation future. We are excited to see you at the next meeting!
Find all presentations here: