This is a guest report by Harvey Carlin, a Digital Communications Specialist at low-carbon commodity company StarCB (SCB). It provides a detailed perspective on the new SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard Version 2.0 (see recent Ishka SAVi coverage) and examines its implications and relevance for SAF.
The Science Based Targets initiative’s (SBTi) updated Corporate Net-Zero Standard, published in recent weeks, has drawn renewed attention to one of the hardest parts of any corporate climate strategy: aviation emissions.
For many companies worldwide, the Scope 3 emissions associated with business travel and air freight are difficult to reduce quickly. They are often outside direct operational control and tied to activities that companies cannot always eliminate without affecting vital commercial growth, client service or even global operations.
SBTi’s 2021 aviation guidance had already recognised SAF as a tool for consumers of aviation services seeking to address jet fuel-related scope 3 emissions. It contemplated book-and-claim arrangements, where the environmental attributes of SAF are entirely separated from its physical delivery, as a practical procurement route, provided they were consistent with GHG Protocol accounting as well as supported by evidence of fuel use, lifecycle emissions benefits, appropriate chain of custody and safeguards against double counting. At the time, however, freely traded SAF certificates were not eligible because no recognised accounting framework existed.
Corporate Net-Zero Standard Version 2.0 has built on that sector-specific precedent by formalising a broader implementation hierarchy. Companies are still expected to prioritise direct reductions within their operations and value chains and to disclose barriers where these cannot be achieved, but, crucially, they may also use activity-pool and sector-level interventions supported by instruments such as commodity certificates and book-and-claim models, subject to integrity, traceability, and reporting guardrails.
The changes to SBTi’s rulebook come as SAF supply remains somewhat below what aviation needs. IATA expects global production to reach around 2.4 million tonnes in 2026, equivalent to just 0.8% of total aviation fuel use. Supply is not the only constraint. A February 2026 GBTA Foundation study also identified uncertainty over accounting standards and future counting rules as a major barrier to adoption.
Nearly half of companies are unsure whether SAF certificates would count towards their emissions-reduction targets. Against this backdrop, SBTi’s updated guidance provides two key recommendations: (1) Companies should acquire market instruments progressively throughout the target period, rather than wait until the end. (2) If supply constraints or limited market availability make progressive acquisition impracticable, companies should document and justify their approach.
For SAF buyers, that can translate into a somewhat “start now and scale” approach. With 2030 serving as the target year or a critical near-term milestone for corporate climate commitments, waiting to buy SAF may seem easier until deadlines become urgent. However, beginning with smaller, registry-backed purchases now enables buyers to gain experience with accounting, documentation, and claims, establish robust procurement processes, and signal early market demand, better preparing for rapid scaling toward 2030.
For companies with SBTi-aligned targets, the overall message is that SAF procurement should sit within a wider hierarchy: avoid unnecessary travel, shift to lower-carbon alternatives where possible, improve travel policies, measure emissions accurately, and use credible SAF instruments for the portion of aviation emissions that remains difficult to reduce directly today.
This is a guest report by Harvey Carlin, a Digital Communications Specialist at low-carbon commodity company StarCB (SCB).
