RFAS Aviation
RFAS Aviation, an extension to Zemo’s Renewable Fuels Assurance Scheme (RFAS), provides independent verification of the traceability of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) supplied in the UK.
RFAS Aviation encompasses the complete SAF supply chain from feedstock origin, to production and distribution of airline operators. The scheme begins with the verification of volumes of SAF approved under the UK SAF Mandate and provides assurance of the chain of custody throughout the downstream supply chain.
RFAS SAF Declarations have been approvedby the Environment Agency as a source of documentary evidence for UK ETS Emissions Reduction Claims (ERCs).
Companies approved under the Renewable Fuels Assurance Scheme
Download and filter the current lists for RFAS, RFAS Heat-Power-Marine and RFAS Aviation.
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For further information about the RFAS Aviation please email [email protected]
What are the scheme’s environmental performance criteria?
SAF supply chains are required to meeting the following criteria:
Greenhouse gas emission savings thresholds
Greenhouse gas emissions are calculated using a life-cycle methodology and measured against a fossil fuel comparator.
Feedstock Sustainability
Protection of land and biodiversity
Use of waste as a resource, with a chain of custody to show provenance of the biomass wastes
Use of renewable energy and resources for producing renewable fuels of non-biological origin such as hydrogen
Supply Chain Traceability
The SAF supply chain shall be traceable from feedstock origin to the customer in terms of greenhouse gas emission and sustainability performance.
Explicit controls are required to avoid double counting and to prevent any cross-market attribution to aviation claims (e.g. kerosene supplied for heating).
How to become an approved SAF Supplier?
Companies are required to apply to Zemo Partnership to become approved under the RFAS Aviation. This entails completing an application form and participating in an independent audit to demonstrate compliance with the scheme performance criteria. Once approved, SAF Suppliers are required to undergo continuous compliance monitoring including an annual audit. Companies wishing to become approved should read the RFAS Aviation Technical Guidance Annex in conjunction with the RFAS Technical Guidance.
RFAS Aviation has an application and annual participation fee, please contact Zemo Partnership for the current fees.
SAF Declarations
Once SAF Suppliers are approved by Zemo Partnership, they are requested to issue their customers with SAF Declarations for batches of SAF sold. The declarations provide a standardised approach for supplying airlines with robust and representative GHG emissions and sustainability data, required for UK ETS and carbon reporting activities.
The declaration identifies the volume and mass of neat SAF purchased, the GHG emission intensity and savings, as well as details of the types of raw material feedstocks. The RFAS SAF Declarations have teal headings to distinguish them from RFAS and RFAS Heat-Power-Marine declarations for renewable fuel supplied to non-aviation markets.
To ensure the chain of custody is unbroken and the information is valid, SAF Declarations are specific to each customer and are non-transferable. Operators must purchase fuel directly from approved SAF suppliers to receive declarations. In the event of an RFAS Aviation approved SAF Supplier selling SAF to a fuel trader, the trader will need to become approved in their own right, if they wish to benefit from the scheme and issue declarations to their customers.
Companies approved under the RFAS Aviation