Driving rapid decarbonisation with innovative chain of custody solutions

Book & Claim

Buyers and end-users globally are increasingly demanding sustainable products and materials but cannot always access them via their existing supply chain network. This is the case, for example, for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), which is currently produced and supplied in only a few countries and airports – meaning that it is often out of reach for the growing number of customers globally (including not only airlines, but their corporate customers too who may wish to decrease their emissions from business travel).

In aviation, book and claim is a solution that enables airlines to purchase SAF without being geographically connected to a supply site, and to further transfer its sustainability attributes to their corporate partners. Technically speaking, book and claim is a chain of custody model that allows to ‘de-couple’ specific attributes, like for example the environmental benefits, from the physical product and to transfer them separately via a dedicated registry in the form of a Book & Claim Unit. This approach has been already successfully implemented in the renewable electricity sector (see here).

Ensuring that there is full traceability and no risk of double counting is absolutely vital to maintain credibility and trust in the process. This means that producers and customers should be using a system that is managed by an independent and trusted third party and is subject to regular independent audits. In close collaboration with stakeholders and industry experts, RSB has developed a book and claim certification approach that we are currently piloting.

RSB's Book & Claim Approach

The RSB Book & Claim System aims to accelerate decarbonisation efforts across sectors, and to promote the production and use of sustainably certified fuels and materials. The system is currently focusing on the famously hard-to-abate sectors of aviation and shipping, and aims to address the key challenges of cost, given that sustainable aviation and marine fuels are still considerably more expensive than fossil fuels, and the limited amount of supply sites vis-à- vis growing global interest and demand. The RSB Book & Claim System provides a robust and transparent approach to decouple and transfer the environmental benefits of sustainable aviation and marine fuels via book and claim’, and allows multiple entities to share a claim, such as the emission reduction, provided they report within relevant GHG scopes and according to the requirements of this manual.

 

It was developed to promote in-sector decarbonisation, and as such, enable organisations to invest in emission reductions within their value chains and link them to the organisation’s actual transport activity (i.e. SAF-related reductions linked to the company’s actual air transportation-related emissions)¹, as well as meet the requirements of the Science Based Targets Initiative’s (SBTi) Aviation Guidance². The RSB Book & Claim System has been designed, and is being continuously improved, through a series of stakeholder consultations and pilots. This has been described in the table below.

 

Activity Date
Targeted stakeholder consultation
(RSB Book & Claim Manual V2.0)
June – November 2021
Public stakeholder consultation
(RSB Book & Claim Manual V2.0)
January – February 2022
Pilots in the aviation sector November 2021 – ongoing (until end of 2023)
RSB member stakeholder consultation
(RSB Book & Claim Manual V3.0)
August – September 2022
Pilots in the shipping sector Starting 2023
  • How does it work?
  • Who are the key partners?
  • How can I get involved?
  • How does it work?

    The RSB Book & Claim System consists of:

    • The RSB Book & Claim Manual, which is a procedure describing the rules which allow a company to register, transfer and retire credits in the RSB Book and Claim System.
    • The RSB Book & Claim Registry, which is a system to store ‘book and claim’ transaction data.

    The RSB Book & Claim System aims to ensure that for each claim made on a book & claim basis, products with the same specified characteristics have been produced and double claiming of the environmental benefit of those products is avoided at all times. Ultimately, no matter where the product is purchased and used via ‘book and claim’, the net environmental effect is the same. 

  • Who are the key partners?

    RSB is currently piloting Book & Claim in collaboration with several aviation partners, including: Airbp, United Airlines and Microsoft, Singapore Airlines, Etihad, TotalEnergies, Shell and the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA) and we are designing further pilots in both the aviation and shipping sectors.

     

    RSB is also an advisory member of the World Economic Forum’s Clean Skies for Tomorrow, supporting the development of mechanisms based on book & claim to facilitate the transition to net-zero flying by 2050.

  • How can I get involved?

    RSB members are invited to participate in the stakeholder consultation of the RSB Book & Claim Manual v3.0 which runs until 19 September 2022, and to join us at the RSB Innovations Meeting in Boston on 5 October 2022 to discuss book & claim and US policy.

     

    For any additional questions and information please email us at [email protected]

Latest Updates

Members invited to participate in RSB Book & Claim manual v3.0 consultation

RSB invites members to participate in the stakeholder consultation on the updated RSB Book & Claim Manual (v3.0). The consultation runs until Monday 19 September 2022, and will support the RSB in consolidating the approach around issues such as additionality […]

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Webinar on updated RSB Book & Claim Manual ahead of Annual Conference 2022

RSB has opened up registrations for members to join a webinar on the updated RSB Book & Claim Manual (v3.0). The webinar will also officially kick off the stakeholder consultation, which will run until Monday 19th September 2022. Both the […]

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Singapore Airlines announces book & claim pilot project with RSB

In July 2022, as part of a pilot project within the RSB Book & Claim system, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), Singapore Airlines (SIA), and Temasek will launch the sale of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) credits, via book […]

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Global Stakeholders Invited to Participate in a Consultation on the RSB Book & Claim Manual

The RSB invites interested parties from the aviation and other sectors to participate in an official stakeholder consultation on the RSB Book & Claim manual. The consultation, which runs until Friday 25 February 2022, will provide the RSB with valuable […]

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RSB launches first SAF book & claim pilot with Air bp to enable certified SAF claims from Microsoft and United Airlines

RSB’s book & claim pilot with Air bp intends to unlock increased supply for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) users and their customers, including United Airlines and Microsoft. Microsoft is joining the pilot to purchase SAF sustainability credits via RSB’s book […]

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Air bp: Making SAF more accessible for all

Accessing the benefits of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) might be easier than you think. Air bp’s book and claim solution, certified by the RSB, provides customers with wider market access to SAF across a number of locations. The coronavirus pandemic […]

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Watch Now: RSB Webinar on New Sustainable Solutions for the Aviation Industry

This RSB webinar is aimed at equipping the aviation supply chain with the most cutting-edge solutions to ensure credible sustainability for the industry – that contributes to the sector’s decarbonisation goals and that your customer can trust. Learn about RSB’s […]

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RSB Webinar: New Sustainable Solutions for Aviation

RSB invites you to a webinar on August 4th aimed at equipping the aviation supply chain with the most cutting-edge solutions to ensure credible sustainability for the industry – that contributes to the sector’s decarbonisation goals and that your customer […]

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RSB to develop first-of-its-kind biofuels book and claim system for Maersk

A.P. Moller – Maersk is rolling out a flagship project with RSB to pass emissions savings from its use of alternative fuels on to its clients, with retail giant H&M among the first to benefit. RSB is developing a ‘book […]

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