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Quote, book and get full control of your shipments.
Talk to an expert
We help you to navigate through your logistics questions.
Get in touchThe path to low-emission air freight
As global logistics networks move to decarbonise, understanding sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is essential for leaders aiming to reduce Scope 3 upstream emissions.
While air logistics is the fastest way to connect global markets, it is also the most challenging mode of transport to decarbonise. Long-term innovations like hydrogen-electric flight are in development; however, businesses need an immediate way to reduce Scope 3 upstream emissions. The most widely available solution today is sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Understanding how SAF works, how it is validated by global frameworks, and how mechanisms such as Book and Claim support decarbonisation is essential for future-proofing your logistics network.
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What is sustainable aviation fuel?
To ensure environmental integrity, Kuehne+Nagel aligns sustainable fuel offerings with the guidelines set by the Smart Freight Centre (SFC) and the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).
These organisations define how corporate carbon targets are officially audited and reported. Under these global frameworks, true SAF must meet two fundamental criteria:
The fuel must deliver significant lifecycle greenhouse gas savings compared to conventional jet A-1. Crucially, its production must not compete with food crops, drive deforestation, or deplete local water supplies.
The end product is certified under ASTM D7566 as a drop-in fuel — chemically identical to conventional jet fuel and blendable up to 50%, with no modifications required to aircraft, fueling systems or airport infrastructure.
How is SAF produced?
The industry currently relies on a mix of mature and emerging production pathways to create SAF:
Hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA)
This is currently the most mature commercial method. It processes organic materials, e.g. waste fats, oils, and greases, into a fuel that reduces lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 94% compared to fossil jet fuel.
Alcohol-to-jet (ATJ)
This pathway converts alcohols, such as ethanol from agricultural residues, into jet fuel. It offers flexibility by allowing for a variety of sustainable feedstocks. FT (Fischer-Tropsch): This process converts synthetic gas, derived from biomass or waste, into liquid fuel, creating a high-quality product that performs reliably in existing engines.
Synthetic SAF: the future of flight
While current supply chains rely on bio-based fuels, synthetic SAF is the most promising long-term solution. These fuels, also known as e-SAF or power-to-liquid, are produced by combining renewable electricity, water, and captured carbon dioxide. Because they are not dependent on biomass, they are unconstrained by availability limits that affect other fuel types.
Synthetic SAF can reduce lifecycle emissions by up to 100%. Kuehne+Nagel supports the commercialisation of these fuels through strategic partnerships, including technology innovators such as Synhelion, helping accelerate their path from development to large-scale deployment.
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The role of regulatory mandates
While voluntary corporate action helped build the early market for renewable fuels, regulatory mandates are now reshaping the global aviation landscape. Governments are introducing minimum blending targets to increase production and provide market stability.
The most prominent example is the European Union's ReFuelEU Aviation initiative. Starting with a 2% mandate, these targets will increase steadily over the coming decades to help the industry move away from fossil fuels.
These mandates have implications far beyond the airline industry. As carriers absorb the cost of mandatory sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), those costs will increasingly flow through to air freight rates. At the same time, SAF is shifting from a voluntary sustainability initiative to a standard operating requirement.
For shippers, early adoption is a practical way to manage future costs, secure capacity and stay competitive as the industry transitions to lower-carbon transport.
Overcoming geography with Book and Claim
One of the biggest challenges with SAF is availability. It is produced at a limited number of locations and cannot realistically be supplied to every airport or flight.
To address this, the industry uses a Book and Claim model. Under guidelines from the Smart Freight Centre (SFC), organisations can purchase the environmental benefits of SAF even when the physical fuel is used elsewhere. This allows companies to reduce the emissions associated with air freight without being constrained by where SAF is available.
Kuehne+Nagel makes SAF adoption straightforward. Customers have two options:
Retroactive calculation, where they can apply SAF to past shipments based on actual fuel consumption, or
Opt-in framework, where they select SAF when booking new shipments through our digital platforms.
In both cases, emissions reductions are tracked through the Book and Claim framework and verified through independent third-party audits. Customers receive a certified record of their emissions savings, providing transparent, credible reporting for sustainability and carbon accounting.
Cost implications for individual products
Air freight is typically used for high-value or time-sensitive goods, meaning the additional cost of SAF is spread across thousands of products on each flight. As a result, the impact on individual product costs is often minimal.
For example, transitioning to SAF adds just:
Chilli peppers: $0.013 per unit
Pharmaceuticals (e.g. Panadol): $0.04 per unit
High-tech electronics (e.g. iPhone): $0.28 per unit
Consumer apparel (e.g. 3-pack BOSS boxers): $0.58 per unit
Viewed at the product level, the cost of reducing transport emissions represents only a small fraction of an item's retail value. This makes SAF a practical and commercially viable option for organisations looking to lower supply chain emissions without significantly impacting product margins.
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Incorporating SAF into your procurement strategy
SAF is increasingly becoming part of doing business in air logistics. With demand currently outpacing supply, securing SAF allocations early can help organisations manage future cost volatility and capacity shortages.
By embedding SAF into freight procurement and supplier agreements, companies can create a clear, auditable pathway toward their sustainability goals while building a more resilient, lower-emission supply chain.
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FAQs
Under the Book and Claim system, your cargo may not be on the plane that burned the fuel, but the carbon reduction is fully traceable. To avoid the high emissions of moving fuel globally, the SAF is injected into an airport grid near the production site. Your digital certificate links your purchase to an audited volume of fuel added to the aviation network, matching Smart Freight Centre (SFC) Guidelines.
Yes. Because our Book and Claim process aligns with SFC guidelines and Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) requirements, these reductions count as legitimate Scope 3 upstream transportation improvements. The third-party audited certificates provide your team with the data needed for corporate environmental Audits.
No. All SAF used by Kuehne+Nagel is certified as a drop-in fuel, meaning it performs exactly like traditional jet fuel. It is blended with kerosene at the airport and uses existing pipelines, fuel trucks, and aircraft engines without needing any equipment modifications.
Although these mandates target flights departing from EU airports, the aviation market is global. As airlines adapt to regional laws in Europe, the US, and Asia, overall demand for SAF will increase. Securing fuel allocations now through your logistics provider protects your supply chain from potential capacity shortages and price spikes.
We prevent double counting through rigid registry tracking and independent third-party verification. When SAF is produced and injected into the grid, its unique digital attributes are logged in a secure registry. Once those attributes are assigned to your shipment and a certificate is issued, the registry retires that volume so it cannot be claimed or sold again.