The global representative body of the airline industry, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and independent carbon insetting platform 123Carbon have agreed to make their respective sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) registries interoperable. (Carbon insetting means integrating carbon emissions reductions into the core business strategies of industries, including their supply chains.)

“User trust is essential,” highlighted IATA senior VP sustainability and chief economist Marie Owens Thomsen. “The transparency that comes with interoperability will ensure that our registries can function cohesively to maximise SAF’s potential to support aviation’s decarbonisation. The broader the alignment among registry providers, the better. We welcome all entities active in this field to work with IATA and 123Carbon towards global interoperability between all registries.”

The collaboration between the two registries will result in better transparency, prevent errors (including double issuance) in the reporting of emissions, and streamline the management of certificates by them. The agreement is focused on three essential points – a unique identifier for the relevant data points and their alignment, to exchange between the registries; an information exchange process to prevent double issuance; and a dispute resolution process.

“123Carbon is committed to establishing integrity and trust in the market for Environmental Attribute Certificates (EACs) within multi-modal transportation (e.g. air, sea, road & rail),” explained 123Carbon MD Jeroen van Heiningen. “With IATA, we have found a strong partner in the aviation sector that shares our beliefs. This collaboration allows SAF providers, airlines, freight forwarders, and corporate entities to utilise our platforms without the concern of double issuance, whilst managing their SAF certificates digitally on our platform.”

IATA will launch its SAF registry in April. The intent is to facilitate the widest possible use of SAF by standardising the SAF certification market. SAF has a key role to play in the decarbonisation of aviation. The development of the IATA SAF registry has been supported by more than 50 organisations, among them airlines, fuel producers and government authorities. IATA also consulted a wide range of SAF stakeholders, one of which was 123Carbon.

A major service provided by 123Carbon is assisting users with the issuance, management and transfer of EACs across all transport modes and technologies. It now has more than 50 global users, including fuel suppliers, fleet operators, freight forwarders and cargo owners.