IATA study confirms main bottleneck to net zero is SAF technology rollout, not feedstock availability

The International Air Transport Association, in partnership with Worley Consulting, has published a study demonstrating that sufficient sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) feedstock exists to enable the airline industry to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.  

All feedstocks considered meet stringent sustainability criteria and do not lead to changes in land use. 

The study also identified significant barriers in using that feedstock for SAF production, namely: 

• The slow pace of technology rollout that would enable SAF to be produced from varied sources. Currently the only commercially scaled SAF production facilities use hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) technology, for example converting used cooking oil into SAF. 

• Competition with other potential users of the same feedstock. Policies allocating biomass feedstock to hard-to-abate sectors such as aviation must be prioritized. 

Airlines will need 500 million tons of SAF to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, as outlined in the IATA Net Zero Roadmaps.  

This can be achieved from two main sources: 

• Biomass: This has the potential to produce more than 300 million tons of biobased SAF annually by 2050. Some of this potential could be limited by use for competing sources. This potential could be expanded by unlocking additional feedstocks or through efficiency gains and technology improvements over intervening decades. 

• Power-to-liquid (PtL): This will be required to reach 500 million tons of SAF production annually by 2050. Maximizing the volumes of cost-effective biobased SAF will reduce the pressure on eSAF to bridge the gap. 

In all cases, to maximize SAF output, it will be essential to improve conversion efficiencies, accelerate technology rollout, enhance feedstock logistics and invest in better infrastructure required to scale up commercial facilities across all regions. 

“We now have unequivocal evidence that if SAF production is prioritized then feedstock availability is not a barrier in the industry’s path to decarbonization,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general. “There is enough potential feedstock from sustainable sources to reach net-zero carbon emissions in 2050. However, this will only be accomplished with a major acceleration of the SAF industry’s growth. We need shovels in the ground now.”  

Key findings from the report include: 

• There are sufficient sustainable feedstocks and SAF production technologies to decarbonize aviation and meet the net-zero carbon-emissions goal by 2050. 

• With the right policies and investments, more than 300 million tons of SAF from biomass feedstocks could be produced annually by mid-century and around 200 million tons from eSAF. 

The main challenges are: 

• Enhancing the feedstock supply-chain infrastructure, scaling up novel sources that meet sustainability criteria, and ensuring that the feedstocks identified for SAF production are made available to the air-transport industry. 

• Accelerating technology rollout to unlock new SAF production technologies, especially PtL, including reliable access to the low-cost renewable electricity, hydrogen and carbon-capture infrastructure, which are all required as part of the PtL production method. 

• Achieving coordinated government policies to support innovation, and investment to create a fully functioning SAF market, unlocking new economic opportunities. 

• Rallying regional leadership, with North America, Brazil, Europe, India, China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations identified as key drivers of global SAF output. 

• Activating the energy industry to invest in SAF production capacity, support technology commercialization and align their business strategies with global decarbonization goals. 

“The report highlights the local and regional opportunities for SAF production to create jobs, stimulate economies and support energy-security goals,” said Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s senior vice president of sustainability and chief economist. “Governments, energy producers, investors and the aviation sector must work together, de-risk investment and accelerate rollout. Policy certainty and cross-sector collaboration are essential to unlock the scale we need. The time to act is now—delays will only make the challenge harder.”  

Walsh said, “With this study it becomes clear that we can make SAF the solution it needs to be for aviation’s decarbonization. The potential to turn SAF feedstock into real SAF production is in the hands of policymakers and business leaders, particularly in the energy sector. The conclusion of this study is an urgent call to action. We have just 25 years to turn this proven potential into reality.”   

Click here to access the study.