Corporate Buyers Could Help Fund 1.9 Million Tonnes of Cleaner Aviation Fuel by 2030

SAF can substantially reduce aviation emissions compared with conventional jet fuel, but its production remains small, and its price puts pressure on airline budgets.

Companies paying to reduce emissions from business flights and air freight could help finance a much bigger market for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Research from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Airbus and Accenture estimates that corporate purchases could support between 1 million and 1.9 million tonnes of SAF by 2030, compared with an estimated 323,000 tonnes in 2024.

Businesses need confidence that the emissions reductions they buy will count towards their climate targets, with clearer accounting rules, manageable prices and less complicated contracts. For airlines facing the expense of switching fuels, bringing more corporate buyers into the market could spread the bill across the businesses that rely on air transport.

Cleaner Fuel Comes With a Bigger Bill

SAF can substantially reduce aviation emissions compared with conventional jet fuel, but its production remains small, and its price puts pressure on airline budgets. Global output in 2026 is expected to reach just 2.4 million tonnes, equivalent to 0.8% of total jet fuel use, with prices running at two to three times those of conventional fuel.

Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA's Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist, described SAF as aviation's most important tool for cutting emissions. Her concern is who pays for its expansion; airlines cannot carry that cost alone, and companies need a credible, straightforward way to contribute.

What Companies Would Actually Buy

SAF Environmental Attribute Certificates, or EAc, allow businesses to purchase the emissions reduction benefits associated with sustainable fuel. These purchases could help address Scope 3 emissions connected to business travel and air cargo, provided the relevant accounting rules recognize the claims.

A reliable book-and-claim system would separate those environmental benefits from the physical delivery of fuel. A company could help fund SAF and claim its associated emissions reduction even when the fuel is supplied to an airport elsewhere.

For Julien Manhes, Airbus's Vice President for Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Carbon Dioxide Removal Development, accounting certainty is central to turning corporate interest into firm commitments. Those commitments would give producers a clearer reason to expand supply and could help bring costs down.

Most Potential Buyers Are Still Holding Back

Only around 15% of surveyed companies currently purchase SAF certificates, according to Jesko Neuenburg, Accenture's Global Aviation & Travel Sustainability Lead. Many are waiting for lower prices, settled carbon accounting rules and a buying process that takes less effort.

Certificates generally cost between USD 150 and USD 500 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions abated. Companies report a willingness to pay closer to USD 300, making transparent pricing an important part of purchasing decisions.

Airlines supply approximately 53% of corporate SAF certificate purchases, making them the largest source for businesses seeking to address emissions from flying employees and shipping goods.

Neuenburg sees an opportunity for airlines to develop ways of recovering SAF costs now, concentrating on sectors where demand is emerging and building the systems, partnerships and customer relationships needed to handle future growth.

Clear Rules and Easier Purchases Matter

The study identifies three priorities for wider participation: consistent accounting rules that give buyers confidence their reductions will be recognized; transparent tracking systems that work together and prevent double counting; and simpler purchasing arrangements.

For companies considering their first purchase, that means knowing what they are paying for, being able to buy smaller volumes and having access to shorter contracts. Reliable tracking would help protect the credibility of each certificate by ensuring the same environmental benefit is not claimed twice. Government support, effective incentives and a substantial increase in production capacity remain essential to expanding SAF. Corporate spending can share the cost more broadly and strengthen demand, but it cannot deliver aviation's fuel transition on its own.