Commercial, Sourcing Renewables  -  October 3, 2023

Microsoft Purchases SAF Certificates

Microsoft announced a long-term agreement to accelerate the decarbonization of corporate air travel and its supply chain cargo through the purchase of sustainable aviation fuel certificates (SAFc).  

The 10-year agreement was signed with World Energy, a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producer and low-carbon solutions provider, and connects Microsoft's decarbonization goals directly and verifiably with SAF via a Book & Claim tracking framework.  

Through this agreement, an estimated 43.7 million gallons of petroleum jet fuel will be displaced with low-carbon SAF, and the emissions reduction is expected to exceed 469,000 metric tons of CO2. The SAF supply will be produced at World Energy's facility in Paramount, California, the world's first commercial-scale SAF production plant.

"This agreement exemplifies the power of collaboration and technology in driving meaningful change in one of the hardest-to-abate sectors," said Katie Ross, director of carbon reduction strategy & market development at Microsoft, in a statement. "Not only will it help to reduce our business travel and supply chain logistics emissions, but we hope this agreement will inspire others to take action and support the transition to alternative fuels that will enable a decarbonized aviation industry."  

With SAFc, the fuel's environmental attributes are separated from the fuel itself and are purchased by a partner as part of their decarbonization program. The physical production and use of the SAF is tied specifically to the certificates, independently accredited, transparently tracked, and third-party verified using a digital chain of custody system referred to as Book & Claim. This enables both airlines and corporate leaders, such as Microsoft, to support the decarbonization benefits of SAF without taking delivery of physical fuel. 

Additionally, SAFc delivered via Book & Claim helps minimize both logistic costs and emissions because the fuel can be used near where it is produced rather than being shipped around the world.

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