WEF-GenZero aviation initiative aims to boost green fuel uptake in Asia

A key mission of the Green Fuel Forward initiative is to scale up production of SAF, which the industry regards as a vital tool to cut the sector’s growing greenhouse gas emissions.

Governments globally, including Singapore’s, have set mandates that map steady increases in the percentage of SAF in planes’ fuel tanks in the coming years.

“The only way to get to net zero, or very close to net zero, by the middle of the century, is very, very large amounts of SAF,” said Mr Robert Boyd, Boeing’s sustainability lead for the Asia-Pacific.

More efficient aircraft designs and engines can get perhaps 20 per cent of the way, and operations – such as better route planning – another 10 per cent, he told The Straits Times at the launch of the initiative during the GenZero Climate Summit 2025 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre.

The summit, held from 5 to 8 May, aims to showcase ways to hasten the decarbonisation of the global economy.

Boeing has been actively promoting the use of SAF and the company aims to ensure its commercial aircraft are certified to operate on 100 per cent SAF by 2030, said Mr Boyd.

Lack of awareness and higher costs for the greener fuel remain issues for SAF, which is two or three times as expensive as fossil fuel-derived aviation fuel.

And in Asia, the world’s largest aviation market, demand is not keeping pace with planned production capacity additions in the coming years.

“The Asia-Pacific region has a unique opportunity to lead in sustainable aviation fuels, but unlocking this potential requires stronger demand signals,” said Mr Frederick Teo, chief executive of GenZero, an investment platform owned by Temasek.

SAF is designed to be a drop-in fuel for planes, needing no new additional infrastructure at airports. Current rules allow up to 50 per cent of SAF to be blended with fossil fuel-based jet fuel.

SAF can reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by up to 80 per cent compared with conventional jet fuel, according to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), which has set a long-term aspirational goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions for international aviation by 2050.

The fuel is made mostly from waste materials such as used cooking oil and animal fat, but can also be made from agricultural residues and even alcohol.

The International Air Transport Association (Iata) estimates that SAF will achieve about 65 per cent of the emissions reductions needed for the industry to reach net zero by 2050. And cutting emissions has become increasingly critical, with aviation currently accounting for approximately 2.5 per cent of global CO₂ emissions, and possibly doubling or even tripling from 2019 levels by 2050 unless concerted action is taken.

Green Fuel Forward is a capacity-building initiative aimed at drawing in airlines, refiners, logistics companies, banks and others. A total of 16 companies and organisations have agreed to participate, including Boeing, Climate Impact X, DBS Bank, DHL, the International Energy Agency, Neste, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Temasek, and UOB.

A key focus of the initiative is to boost the take-up of SAF certificates by companies to offset their own emissions or the travel emissions of their employees, for example.

The certificates can be bought on exchanges, such as Singapore’s Climate Impact X, and each is linked to the creation of one tonne of SAF.

Certificate buyers can track and claim the environmental benefits of using SAF, such as emissions reductions, without having to purchase the physical fuel.

The emissions reduction can be claimed once the tonne of SAF is burned, with the accounting process approved by ICAO.

The initiative will organise workshops and practical guidance tools to help organisations navigate topics such as environmental integrity and reporting practices for SAF and SAF certificates.

Globally, SAF still comprises a fraction of total jet fuel use. And in the Asia-Pacific, uptake is far slower than in Europe.

In 2024, Iata said SAF production reached one million tonnes (1.3 billion litres) – or about 0.3 per cent of global jet fuel production. This is double 2023’s production of half a million tonnes but far below the initial projections for 2024 of 1½ million tonnes.

Rules mandating SAF usage will drive up demand over time.

Flights departing from European Union airports must now use 2 per cent SAF in their fuel mix, rising to 6 per cent in 2030 and 70 per cent by 2050. For Japan, SAF must account for at least 10 per cent of domestic airlines’ jet fuel consumption by 2030.

In Singapore, 1 per cent of all jet fuel used at Changi and Seletar airports must be sustainable, with a goal to reach 3 per cent to 5 per cent by 2030.

Singapore Airlines and its budget arm Scoot are among those committed to reaching a goal of 5 per cent sustainable aviation fuel use by 2030.

There are other challenges for the industry, including ensuring the environmental integrity of feedstocks, such as land-based feedstock, which can lead to unintended consequences for deforestation, said Temasek’s chief sustainability officer Park Kyung-ah, during a panel discussion at the launch.

In Europe and the US, governments have also expressed concerns about reports of virgin palm oil being fraudulently added to boost used cooking oil supplies to SAF refineries. The EU forbids the use of virgin palm oil as an SAF feedstock.

Source: The Straits Times ©️ SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.