The RSB supports the development of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) for the aviation industry that promote social and environmental sustainability and safeguard food security. We do this by partnering with aviation initiatives worldwide, engaging airlines through membership, and helping supply chain companies achieve RSB certification for their alternative fuels.
AVIATION FAST FACTS
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Sustainable Aviation Fuel accounted for 17% of RSB certified products in 2019.
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Nearly a third of RSB members represent the aviation sector, including airlines, SAF producers, and aviation industry and research associations.
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RSB drives the sustainability agenda at global level through ICAO, and the RSB CORSIA Standard has been recognised by ICAO for CORSIA certification from December 2020.
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Many SAF initiatives worldwide, including the 28 airlines member of the Sustainable Air Fuel User Group (SAFUG), have committed to RSB-certified fuel.
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RSB certified SAF has a minimum 50% GHG emission reduction compared to the fossil fuel baseline and guarantees the protection of social and environmental rights and food security.
A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR THE INDUSTRY
The aviation industry has committed to grow carbon-neutrally as of 2020, and to decrease GHG emissions by 50% by 2050.
We are working with industry leaders to achieve these goals – and to ensure that these developments have sustainability at their heart.
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GOAL 1
Improve fleet fuel efficiency by 1.5% per year from now until 2020.
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GOAL 2
Stabilise net aviation emissions at 2020 levels with carbon neutral growth.
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GOAL 3
By 2050, net aviation carbon emissions will be half what they were in 2005.
Practical Solutions For A Sustainable Aviation Industry
The RSB’s pioneering approach drives continuous improvement and adaptation to new market challenges and opportunities. With credible solutions, innovative and advanced approaches to the latest sustainability challenges and a proven track record in supporting the industry, we are delivering clear benefits and value to partners across the aviation supply chain.
RSB STANDARD FOR ICAO CORSIA
RSB’s ICAO CORSIA Standard specifies requirements for operators along the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) supply chain to produce SAF that complies with RSB’s sustainability requirements and is eligible under CORSIA.
The Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, or CORSIA, is an emission mitigation approach for the global airline industry, developed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). CORSIA has been adopted as complementary to a broader package of measures to help ICAO achieve its goal of carbon-neutral growth from 2020 onwards.
LOW ILUC
RSB’s progressive ILUC module is the first to address the challenges associated with indirect land use change in biomass production and enables SAF to carry an additional low ILUC claim with its RSB certification upon compliance with at least one of three sets of indicators: Waste & Residues, Unused Land, and Yield Increase. The module is available ahead of new regulations coming into force in the EU, and is part of the RSB CORSIA certification scheme.
GHG CALCULATOR
RSB’s Greenhouse Gas calculator is a market-leading tool based on emission factors and actual activity measurement The calculator integrates both the RSB Global and EU RED (soon EU RED II) methodologies, as well as CORSIA. The calculator enables operators to conduct their individual calculation of actual GHG LCA values to show a better performance than available default values. By offering the RSB GHG calculator, RSB supports the industry to decrease their carbon emission impact.
FOOD SECURITY
RSB’s approach to food security is extremely robust thanks to a dedicated focus on food security in our Principles and Criteria and a risk management and stakeholder consultation approach that ensures that issues which might impact local food production, such as water access, are identified and managed right from the start.
SDG ALIGNMENT
RSB is well aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and our partners in the aviation industry can be assured that RSB certified SAF is contributing to the realisation of many of the SDGs.
RSB'S WORK AT ICAO
EXPLORE RSB'S SAF PROJECTS
RSB's Aviation Team
Arianna Baldo
Programme Director // Sector Lead: Aviation
Arianna Baldo is based in Cape Town, South Africa and is RSB’s Programme Director, as well as leading our work in the aviation sector. She coordinates RSB’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) projects and partnerships, and engages stakeholders globally to support […]
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Carolina Grassi
Business Development Lead - Latin America // Sector Lead: Ground Transport
Carolina leads RSB’s Business Development work in Latin America, as well as our sector focus on ground transport. A biologist with a Ph.D. in genetics and an MBA in Business Management, Carolina has dedicated her professional career to helping to […]
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Elena Schmidt
Executive Director (interim)
Elena Schmidt is RSB’s interim Executive Director. Elena Schmidt joined the RSB in 2015 and has served as the RSB Standards Director since that time. Prior to joining the RSB, she was Head of the TÜV SÜD Certification Body for […]
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WHY RSB
By 2030, the RSB will have supported the emergence of a new world bioeconomy founded on social, economic and environmental considerations that contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals – reducing climate impacts, enhancing food security and rural development, and protecting ecosystems.
With credible solutions, global expertise, partners across the spectrum from government to industry and NGOs, and an extremely robust approach to sustainability, RSB is the partner of choice for the aviation industry as it seeks to fulfil its global commitments to greenhouse gas reduction while also ensuring social development and environmental protection.
RSB is a member-led organisation which represents a worldwide movement of businesses, NGOs, academics, government and UN organisations that have demonstrated their commitment to the development of the sustainable bioeconomy by working together to create our most trusted Standard.
The RSB Standard is the strongest and most trusted of its kind, recognised as such by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
Testimonial
The International Coalition for Sustainable Aviation's (ICSA) vision for a “zero climate impact” international aviation pathway towards 2050 endorses RSB as the “best-in-class sustainability certification standard for advanced aviation fuels”
The International Coalition for Sustainable Aviation (ICSA)
Ethiopian Sustainable Biofuel Future Scenario at a glance
As part of the Fuelling the Sustainable Bioeconomy powered by Boeing’s Global Engagement Portfolio, RSB gathered a group of key stakeholders in the Ethiopian bioeconomy to examine and uncover strategies and scenarios for the future development of a sustainable biofuels […]
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RSB submits application for CORSIA recognition
RSB has formally submitted its application to be recognised as a sustainability certification scheme under CORSIA. The submission is a big step in a process that has seen RSB work to adapt its best-in-class sustainability standard to incorporate the requirements […]
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RSB looks to the future with key aviation players
The RSB Annual Meeting has once again played host to aviation industry experts as RSB continues to cement its position as the standard of choice for sustainability-committed industry leaders. In 2019, RSB continued to contribute towards the ongoing development of […]
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Solaris oil to pave the way for scaling up RSB-certified sustainable local fuel supply in South Africa
2016 saw South African Airways (SAA) perform Africa’s first flight powered by Sustainable Aviation Fuel produced from Sunchem’s nicotine-free tobacco plant Solaris. It was refined by World Energy Fuels in the USA, supplied by SkyNRG and supported by Boeing. This momentous […]
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RSB Hosts Aviation Leaders at the IATA Alternative Fuels Symposium
“We need alternative fuel produced using the right localised feedstock based on RSB Principles” – Jennifer Holmgren, CEO, Lanzatech On November 14th we hosted a lunch for aviation leaders at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Alternative Fuels Symposium. In a […]
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RSB in the ICAO Environmental Report
ICAO has launched its 2019 ICAO Environmental Report “Destination Green: The Next Chapter” where you can read about RSB’s leadership in the aviation industry in a section titled: Preparing for Take-Off: RSB and the Role of the Standard in Driving […]
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RSB joins the Brazilian Coalition on Climate, Forests and Agriculture
RSB is proud to announce that we have joined the Brazilian Coalition on Climate, Forests and Agriculture. For the RSB, knowing the power of collective action, the importance of engaging with this multi-stakeholder coalition could not be clearer. There is […]
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Boeing to collaborate with RSB, WWF to further grow a sustainable aviation industry in Brazil
Yesterday Boeing announced a $1 million investment into the Brazilian bioeconomy via a commitment that will focus on identifying suitable feedstocks and supporting small-scale farmers across the country achieve RSB certification for the production of biomass for alternative fuels. Boeing […]
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What airline passengers should know about the future of alternative fuels
“They cause deforestation” “They increase food prices” “They don’t prevent climate change” These are all common claims made about biofuels and they make for alarming reading. But are they true? The answer, as is usually the case, is in […]
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