Delta Air Lines joins RSB as part of flight to net zero
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Delta Air Lines has joined the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), in support of the global airline’s bold strategy for achieving net-zero emissions and a more sustainable future of travel by 2050.
Delta will leverage its membership to work with RSB’s collaborative network on policy discussions and standards setting that encourage greater production of truly sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). This move comes at a critical time for the aviation industry, as SAF production is less than 1% of global jet fuel demand, and the industry aims to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
“SAF is the largest known lever we have today to accelerate our industry’s path to decarbonisation“, said Pam Fletcher, Delta’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “The kind of collaboration, partnerships and work that the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials fosters is essential to pulling the future of aviation forward and our work to connect people to a more sustainable future of flying.“
As a global membership organisation, RSB has been guiding the transformation of the bio-based and circular economy for over a decade. Its sustainability framework is the world’s most trusted and peer-reviewed approach to net positive world, and is a robust and credible foundation for developing innovative solutions to the climate crisis. As a member, Delta will benefit from global recognition and access to industry initiatives with experts from all around the world, such as the SAF Policy Platform and the Book & Claim Platform, and will also contribute to the continuous development of RSB’s robust sustainability framework.
“We are excited to have Delta join our membership and collaborate with us toward achieving a more sustainable future for the aviation industry. As a pioneering industry leader, Delta’s membership is a vote of confidence in our work to accelerate aviation’s decarbonization. We are confident that Delta’s bold strategy will inspire others in aviation to follow suit, and we look forward to supporting their global team in their efforts,” said Elena Schmidt, RSB’s Executive Director.
The aviation industry’s goal is to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050, and SAF is critical to achieving this goal. SAF approved today is drop-in, requiring no changes to aircraft equipment and fuelling infrastructure or equipment to use it. However, SAF production is now less than 1% of global jet fuel demand and is more expensive than conventional jet fuel. In response, Delta has long been developing SAF opportunities and has been working closely with RSB members and partners to ensure it can reach its goal of replacing 10% of its jet fuel refined from fossil fuel with SAF by the end of 2030. To date, Delta has made SAF commitments that bring it past the half-way point to that goal.
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