Cutting your scope 3 emissions: book and claim explained

Air travel and transport are areas of scope 3 emissions that businesses can significantly impact by switching to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Compared to fossil jet fuel, SAF use helps reduce GHG emissions by up to 80%* over the fuel’s life cycle. But SAF is not yet available at every airport. So how can companies make this more sustainable energy choice?

This is where book and claim solutions, such as Neste Impact, come into play, helping to overcome barriers to the physical availability of SAF.

What does book and claim mean?

Put simply, the buyer “books” a specific quantity of SAF to be able to “claim” the corresponding emission reduction. Book and claim accounting separates the physical product – the fuel – from its climate benefits. This allows organizations to purchase and claim the benefits of SAF, even when they are not able to physically use the fuel themselves. The Neste Impact solution is aligned with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), enabling businesses to credibly report achieved emissions savings from their purchase of SAF contributing to their sustainability targets.

“If we boil it down to basics, there are organizations that are keen and willing to use SAF to reduce their scope 3 emissions, but they don’t have direct access to it. A book and claim system provides them with an easy solution to start reducing their emissions,” explains Susanne Bouma, Head of Customer Experience and Offer Management, Renewable Products at Neste, the leading producer of sustainable aviation fuel.

“We need to start using more renewable fuels, and with a book and claim system, it doesn’t really matter where in the world the fuel is produced and used,” Bouma says. “We all live under one atmosphere, and every drop of fossil fuel we replace with more sustainable alternatives counts, no matter where that’s done.”

Why Neste Impact?

With Neste Impact, a customer can make a credible impact on reducing their aviation emissions regardless of where in the world they are. The quantity of SAF bought by the customer is delivered to Neste’s partner airlines at designated airports where SAF is available, and after the SAF has been used, the customer receives a third-party verified report, enabling it to credibly report the achieved emission reduction contributing to its sustainability targets.

“The report includes information on SAF volumes supplied, raw materials used, and emission reduction achieved. The verified reduction in emissions can then be used for the organization’s sustainability reporting,” Bouma explains.

“The success of a book and claim solution depends on accountability, credibility, and transparency, and Neste Impact follows the SBTi Aviation Guidance criteria – the gold standard in climate reporting,” says Bouma.

“Think of it like putting sustainable products into a shopping basket,” she concludes.

“A customer might pick up a pack of coffee that claims a certain percentage of sustainable beans, even though there is no way of telling one bean from another. It is the certification and credibility of the company that will define the trust in these sustainability claims.”

Turn your sustainability goals into action with Neste Impact.

*) When used in neat form (i.e. unblended) and calculated with established life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies, such as CORSIA methodology.