IATA, 123Carbon team up on SAF registries

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that it has partnered with 123Carbon to develop interoperability between their sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) registries.

The two firms said that interoperability will increase transparency, avoid emissions reporting errors – including double issuance – and streamline certificate management across SAF registries.

The collaboration will focus on developing a unique identifier and alignment of the relevant data points to exchange between registries; developing a process for the exchange of information to avoid any potential double issuance and put a dispute resolution process in place.

“User trust is essential. The transparency that comes with interoperability will ensure that our registries can function cohesively to maximize SAF’s potential to support aviation’s decarbonization. The broader the alignment among registry providers, the better. We welcome all entities active in this field to work with IATA and 123Carbon towards global interoperability between all registries,” said Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s senior vice president sustainability and chief economist.

“123Carbon is committed to establishing integrity and trust in the market for Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs) within multi-modal transportation (e.g. air, sea, road & rail). With IATA, we have found a strong partner in the aviation sector that shares our beliefs. This collaboration allows SAF providers, airlines, freight forwarders, and corporate entities to utilize our platforms without the concern of double issuance, whilst managing their SAF certificates digitally on our platform,” said Jeroen van Heiningen, managing director, 123Carbon.

The two companies said that they plan to engage with other SAF stakeholders to join this initiative.

The IATA recently launched the methodology for accounting and reporting the emissions reduction associated with the use of SAF by airlines.

The methodology will support the preparation of the IATA SAF Registry which is scheduled to launch in April 2025. The registry has already been backed seventeen airlines, one airline group, six national authorities, three original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and one fuel producer.