BCD Travel has launched a ‘sustainable’ aviation fuel programme that allows corporate clients to invest in SAF with just €1 added to each flight booking.
Developed with sustainability technology partner Squake, the One Euro SAF initiative targets what BCD’s senior director of sustainability solutions Fabio Fornari described as “the two biggest barriers” to corporate SAF adoption: high upfront costs and the need to align internal stakeholders on reporting and accounting processes.
“There's a desire to implement [SAF], but there are many things that need to be cleared out for SAF to be implemented in a travel programme,” he said, adding that the initiative would let customers validate their approach “without having a huge cost commitment up front”.
The launch follows the Science Based Targets initiative’s (SBTi) June revision of its Corporate Net-Zero Standard to recognise SAF certificates and book-and-claim accounting as credible ways for companies to address Scope 3.6 emissions.
Under BCD’s programme, participating companies agree to an increase in their existing flight booking transaction fee, starting at €1. Contributions accumulate and are invested in SAF through Squake, with the investment amount, purchasing frequency and other requirements set out in a contract amendment.
“Even if it's a low amount, this will allow customers to test [governance and assurance processes] from an operational perspective… and get the approval [to invest in SAF] without a huge cost commitment,” Fornari explained.
Clients specify their SAF requirements, including geographical preferences, before implementation. Squake handles purchasing and provides the resulting certificates so clients can test their reporting and assurance processes.
The €1 contribution is a starting point rather than a fixed rate, Fornari said. The aim is to give clients confidence to increase their SAF investment or switch to other procurement models, such as automated SAF purchasing at the point of sale.
“It might take some time for clients to go through this process but, by reducing the entry barrier in terms of costs, we're confident that we will be able to move to those conversations faster and then confirm that this is actually working,” he said.
The programme will initially focus on European clients, although Fornari said BCD would consider interested customers in other markets.
Earlier this month, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) released a report suggesting corporate demand for SAF could increase sixfold by 2030, potentially supporting production of between 1 million and 1.9 million tonnes of the fuel.
However, Fornari said geopolitical uncertainty has made clients “behave a little bit more conservatively”, pushing sustainability down some businesses’ priority lists even as teams work towards their 2030 emissions reduction targets.
Many BCD clients have science-based targets and are exploring additional ways to address travel-related emissions, he said.
“Companies can and should be honest about the challenges to meet those targets,” he said.