The Zemo Partnership has launched a new assurance scheme aimed at strengthening the verification and traceability of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) across the UK supply chain, as the sector prepares for tighter emissions reporting requirements.
The voluntary scheme, known as RFAS Aviation, is designed to provide independent verification of SAF from the point it is blended with conventional jet fuel through to delivery at airports. It addresses a longstanding gap in the market, where the lack of a consistent verification framework has made it difficult for airlines to demonstrate emissions reductions under the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and for suppliers to substantiate sustainability claims.
RFAS Aviation builds on the Renewable Fuels Assurance Scheme already used in road transport, adapting its audit and assurance processes for aviation and aligning them with UK ETS requirements on sustainability and chain-of-custody reporting.
A central feature of the scheme is a standardised SAF declaration, which records key data including feedstock, production pathway and lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions. The declaration is intended to provide airlines with an auditable record to support emissions reporting, while improving transparency across the fuel supply chain.
The launch comes as the UK moves to scale SAF usage through a national mandate, increasing the need for consistent and credible sustainability verification.
Gloria Esposito, director of sustainable business at Zemo Partnership, said the scheme would “give airlines, suppliers and regulators confidence in the traceability and sustainability of SAF,” adding that collaboration with the Environment Agency had ensured alignment with ETS requirements.
Zemo also confirmed that Valero Energy Limited has been approved as the first supplier under the scheme.
The organisation said RFAS Aviation would support the aviation sector’s transition to net zero by ensuring SAF claims are credible, consistent and independently verified. Zemo Partnership, formerly Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, is a not-for-profit, public-private partnership working to accelerate a sustainable shift to low carbon fuels and zero emission vehicles.