A guide to purchasing SAF credits

As corporate sustainability targets move from pledges to performance, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) has transitioned from a niche alternative to a strategic necessity

As of 2026, the landscape for corporate SAF procurement has significantly evolved from just a few years ago. With more and more SAF producers coming online, and many airlines using it, the days of ultimate scarcity are behind us, and it has become easier and more affordable to procure SAF credits for your organization’s emission reduction targets.

But this also comes with growing complexity: with quite a number of recently launched airline SAF programs, SAF registries, and SAF credit types, it is now easier but also more complex to buy SAF credits as a business. With the current diversity of SAF programs and offerings, how to ensure that you’re buying the right SAF credits, at the right conditions and the right price? This article walks you through some of the key aspects of the SAF credit procurement process.

What are SAF credits: the mechanics of Book and Claim

SAF credits (also known as SAF certificates or SAFc) are the "currency" of sustainable aviation fuel, representing the paper environmental attributes of the physical fuel.

Book and Claim solves this by decoupling the physical fuel from its environmental attributes:

• The physical fuel: Is delivered to an airport and used by an airline.
• The environmental attribute: Is "booked" into a registry as a credit.
• The claim: You "claim" the Scope 3 emission reduction by purchasing and retiring that credit.

This ensures a strict set of accounting guidelines is followed to guarantee the credit is certified, verified, and protected against double-counting.

This model makes it much easier to transact on SAF, and it accelerates the adoption of SAF across on a global scale, which incidentally is also good for the environment!

What types of SAF can you buy today?

Sustainable Aviation Fuel is not a singular type of fuel. Contrary to petroleum based jet fuel, SAF can be made from different feedstocks, leveraging different production techniques. I’ll cover the basic variants available today:

SAF produced from UCO - The most common type of SAF is produced from Used Cooking or use frying oil, which is collected from restaurants, or food processing plants. The oil is originally typically produced from crops, such as oil palms, but as it is used up, considered as a waste product. At the moment UCO based SAF credits are the most popular among business customers

SAF produced from Tallow or Animal Fat - Also using a similar production process, Tallow or animal fat is SAF produced from waste streams from the meat processing industry, and includes rendered animal fat from different animals. There is a strict definition of what defines acceptable AF feedstock as part of the ISCC and RSB certification systems. In the aviation industry, tallow is generally accepted as a feedstock, but many businesses interested in buying SAF credits typically avoid this due to reputational concerns.

Co-processed SAF, This is not necessarily a different feedstock, but a different process where renewable feedstocks are introduced into the conventional refining process to make the distillates from petroleum oil into diesel, gas, jet fuel.  Renewable feedstock is typically added in low percentages, leading to a fuel with a slightly reduced carbon intensity. Still better than conventional jet fuel that consists 100% of fossil fuel. Even though the emission reduction of co-processed SAF is relatively small, it can also be leveraged for SAF credits that are basically similarly effective in meeting your ESG targets.

Alcohol/Ethanol include SAF made from Alcohol/Ethanol that is derived from fermented corn or sugar cane.

eSAF produced from renewable electricity/Hydrogen en CO2. The holy grail of SAFs where eSAF is synthesized with hydrogen (made with renewable electricity) and CO2 (captured). This technology is existent but hasn’t reached scale yet, which is quite expensive to do. Also the production cost is the highest of all SAFs. Due to nascent production levels in 2026, these credits are only accessible to early offtakers at a very high premium.

Where to buy SAF credits and should you diversify?

You can buy SAF credits from:

1. Airlines who generate SAF credits from their own SAF consumption.
2. SAF producers or fuel traders. In this case you would buy directly from the producer and skip the airline.
3. Intermediaries such as freight forwarders (if you’re in cargo) or commodity traders can be an option as well. Traders will be able to scan the market for you for the best offer at a reasonable commission

At this point, it is hard to say which of the above options will offer you the best product and price, as the market is so diverse and volatile. The answer is: any option may work for you, as long as you can ensure the SAF credit complies with your needs, and SAF accounting rules. The tricky part is that if you’re interested in the best deal and need to check all offerings on all variables (there are many!), it will take you a lot of time and effort. That’s why working with a trader will typically get you to an optimal situation, with very little time spent.

SAF certification systems and SAF registries
At the moment there are only two major SAF certification systems to consider, ISCC and RSB. They differ slightly in their requirements and approach (which I won’t cover in this guide), but they are both well recognized in the corporate world as acceptable certification systems. All leading SAF producers are certified either RSB or ISCC, but always verify as in the past SAF has sometimes been traded without the proper certification. 

An additional layer of complexity comes with the SAF registry to use. These registries are to create the SAF credits, store key sustainability documentation, transfer and retire your credits. A few leading ones would be the RMI SAFc registry, RSB Book and Claim registry, and the ISCC SAF registry. Every registry has its own strict (or loose) guidelines on what SAF credits need to adhere to. At SAF Planet we make sure to only transact with any of the leading registries.

Thoughts on SAF subsidy use, mandated SAF, and the concept of additionality.

When buying SAF credits you should pay attention to the concept of additionality which basically means: does your business purchase lead to additional SAF use and additional atmospheric benefit? Similar to tree planting carbon offsets where you don’t want to pay for a tree planting project that is already government mandated, already finished, or pay for a tree that another corporation or initiative has already sponsored. Similar to SAF, your payment should represent additional SAF use that would not have happened without your intervention, and is not also claimed by another business or organization.

In 2026, the 'Additionality' test is stricter than ever. With ReFuelEU and UK mandates active, buying SAF credits requires due diligence. You must ensure your credit represents fuel uplifted beyond the legal minimums. At SAF Planet, we verify that every credit we trade is 'mandate-free,' ensuring your investment actually drives new decarbonization rather than subsidizing existing legal obligations. What is helping is the rise of more strict SAF accounting guidelines and SAF registries that help avoid mandated SAF to be eligible for SAF credit generation and avoid double counting - by design. 

Before you go out to the market, define your SAF credit needs clearly

Determining your SAF volume needs, starts with determining your emission reduction target/need in tonnes of CO2. E.g. you may want to reduce this year by 10 or 25% and gradually increase to reach a target reduction percentage in 2030 or 2035. Every tonne of UCO based SAF on average represents ~3.25 tonnes of carbon abatement, so you can roughly do the math yourself. The emission reduction ratio varies per type and batch of SAF, and you should always request clear specification of CI value (Carbon Intensity) or emission reduction percentage as a WTW (Well-To-Wheel) emission reduction - for UCO, this is ~84%. Apart from volume, consider other variables such as vintage (when the SAF is produced and used), feedstock (UCO, AF, TCO, etc), location, certification preferences, SAF accounting principles. An intermediary such as SAF Planet can help you define these requirements for you.

Should you spread out your SAF credit buying across multiple vendors?

That depends. If you diversify your SAF purchases across multiple vendors, you’re likely to sacrifice on volume discounts. If you’re not a large buyer of SAF credits, it might be smarter to leverage all your volume and work with an intermediary such as SAF Planet to give you access to a large pool of suppliers. Intermediaries typically have solid market insight and access to the latest (and best) pricing, and access to volume discounts. You probably can’t beat their prices by going direct yourself.

Reporting your SAF credits

As you finalize a first SAF credit transaction you will likely receive confirmation documentation such as an invoice and a retirement statement from a SAF registry and other confirmation documentation from an airline or intermediary (the SAF registry statement is the most important!). Store these documents carefully and share them with your ESG team and/or ESG accountant for later review and for yearly reporting purposes. Your ESG team or sustainability manager will typically know how to report correctly, but realize that you can encourage this SAF to be reported and mentioned across an ESG report. Also consider informing your employees of you SAF purchase, so that they will be aware that everytime they fly for work, they fly on SAF. The peace of mind that this brings to travelers should not be underestimated. Also consider doing other forms of external communication on your SAF use, to encourage others to follow your example.

Taking flight with your first SAF transaction

At SAF Planet, we act as your strategic partner in this evolving landscape. We strip away the complexity of registries and certification tiers, leveraging our position as a specialized trader to secure the best market pricing and highest-quality credits for your specific SAF and ESG goals. Don’t let the nuances and complexities of this market stall your sustainability progress.

Ready to reduce your flight emissions? Contact us today (info@safplanet.earth or use the contact form on www.safplanet.earth). Let’s define your needs and take the first concrete steps toward a net-zero future.