Airbus teams up with Japanese firms on SAF facility

Japan Airlines, Airbus, Nippon Paper Industries, Sumitomo Corporation and Green Earth Institute have teamed up to produce sustainable aviation fuel using bioethanol derived from domestic wood.

Initially, Nippon Paper Industries, Sumitomo Corporation, and GEI signed an agreement in February 2023 to launch Morisora ​​Project with the goal to “Turn the power of the forest into the power of flight”.

Building on that, the companies in February of 2025 signed an agreement to establish a joint venture to manufacture and sell bioethanol made from wood biomass.

The five companies said that they “will utilise their respective strengths to work toward realising a decarbonised society, revitalising local communities, and achieving a sustainable future through resource circulation through the production and popularization of domestically produced SAF, which is derived from bioethanol using domestic wood.”

JAL already has set a goal of replacing 10% of all on-board fuel with SAF by 2030, and will promote the creation of a supply chain by connecting the suppliers of SAF raw materials with stakeholders involved in manufacturing.

Airbus will support the CORSIA certification of SAF, which is made from domestically-produced wood and contribute to the aviation industry’s goal of achieving net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.