Rulebook
Detailed functional specifications of the registry
The functional specifications of the registry are presented below and in the latest version of the SAFc Registry Rulebook available in Rulebook Versions.
1. Background and Scope
The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Certificate Registry (the registry), founded by RMI and EDF, is intended to serve the entire sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) market, building from best practice established by standard holders and other key stakeholder organizations.
This rulebook describes how the registry works, detailing the functionalities of units, accounts and actions in the registry.
The rulebook is intended to align with requirements of the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) Book & Claim Manual and Registry Recognition Framework. The registry will seek recognition by RSB and may seek recognition under future book and claim standards issued by respected bodies such as the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification system (ISCC) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). This was developed by RMI and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), in consultation with the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance (SABA), RSB, a consultative group of fuel providers, and many other stakeholders.
2. General Provisions
2.1. The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Certificate Registry
The registry is a secure and standardized electronic database that enables — inter alia — the issuance, holding, transfer, and retirement of units. It ensures conformity with this rulebook and is operated and maintained by a registry administrator.
2.2. Normative References
The following referenced documents are relevant for the application of this rulebook. For dated references, only the cited edition applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
The RSB Book & Claim Manual
2.3. Terms and Definitions
For the purposes of this Rulebook, the following definitions shall apply:
Adjusted LCA value
A value calculated by the registry from the SAF’s life cycle assessment (LCA) value set out in the SAF’s Proof of Sustainability (POS) document for the purposes of determining a unit’s sustainability tier. The LCA value is also commonly referred to as the carbon intensity (CI) score.
The calculation process varies depending on the sustainability tier of the SAFc. In the case of SABA Preferred and SABA Eligible units, certain LCA elements are disregarded during the adjustment, as required by the SABA SAF Sustainability Framework. In the case of SCS Eligible units the adjusted LCA is the same as the original LCA set out in the POS.
Account
A record of all the units held by a company and the issuances, transfers, retirements and other actions associated with those units.
Account representative
A natural person acting on behalf of a company and carrying out actions on an account held by the company.
Action
Any activity in the registry that involves a unit.
ATPHA
Abbreviation for Air Transport Provider Holding Account.
Air transport provider
An entity that provides aviation services (e.g. leases, owns and/or operates aircraft). This includes airlines, freight carriers, and private aircraft.
Air Transport Provider Holding Account (ATPHA)
A registry account held by an air transport provider.
Assurance level
A unit type classification indicating the degree of verification of the sustainability information associated with a unit.
Atmospheric benefit principle
A principle set out in the SABA SAF Sustainability Framework which requires that "emissions reductions from SAF being claimed for use toward voluntary climate targets will need to generate emissions reductions beyond those already incentivized by compliance obligations,” i.e. that these reductions that would not have otherwise occurred.
Aviation customer
An end-user company that has a passenger travel and/or freight Scope 3 emissions footprint and is not a logistics provider.
Batch
A quantity of a SAF that is intended to have uniform characteristics and qualities, e.g. a production unit of SAF from a production facility.
Book and claim
Certificate
Also used as “SAF certificate” or “SAFc”. A transferable digital representation of the right to a claim through retirement the environmental attributes of a metric ton of neat SAF. SAFcAs and SAFcEs are both certificates.
Certification
An independent attestation by a certification body that an entity meets the requirements of a sustainability certification scheme (SCS) for the provision of certain products and/or services. Certification, as used in this rulebook, is only used with respect to the mass balance chain of custody system that certifies SAF supply chains.
Certification body
An independent organization of auditors that assesses if a SAF producing facility or SAF supplier meets the requirements of a SCS.
Claim
Declared information regarding the specified characteristics of a material or product that is attributed to the claimant through retirement and, in the case of an emission reduction claim, may be accounted in its emissions inventory. Claiming is the act of using the environmental attributes embodied in a retired SAFcE or SAFcA in a company’s emissions disclosure. Claiming happens outside the registry and is outside the scope of this Rulebook. However, retiring a SAF certificate is a prerequisite for claiming the environmental attributes it represents.
Company
A legal entity holding one or more accounts in the registry.
Compliance Retirement
Company representative
A natural person legally authorized by a company to open, access and close its accounts and appoint, manage, and remove the authorized representatives of these accounts.
End-user
An end-user is either an aviation customer or a logistics provider. Both groups are entities with Scope 3 aviation footprints, against which they will claim the environmental benefits represented by a SAFcE.
Environmental attributes
The sustainability characteristics of any given unit and its associated fuel volume, as evaluated through certification, e.g. the life cycle assessment (LCA) emissions reduction value of any given fuel volume.
Fuel Provider Holding Account (FPHA)
A registry account held by a fuel provider.
Fuel provider
A fuel provider is the entity that physically delivers the SAF volume and in turn requests issuance of SAF certificates. The fuel provider can either be the producer of the SAF or a trader (i.e. another entity that has taken the SAF in its chain of custody after its production and is responsible for delivering it to an airport).
General Holding Account (GHA)
A registry account held by an aviation customer or a market intermediary.
Logistics provider
An end-user company that coordinates, fulfills and controls the movement and storage of goods and services, i.e. coordinates aviation services for aviation customers. Logistics providers are commonly known also as (e.g. freight forwarders or travel agencies.)
Logistics Provider Holding Account (LPHA)
A registry account held by a logistics provider.
Issuance
The process of creating a new SAFcA in the registry.
Issuance Information
All the information recorded in the registry on the SAF underlying a SAFcA, including information about sustainability attributes and production details as set out in Annex D. Issuance information is first recorded at issuance, but may change during the unit’s lifetime.
Life cycle
Life cycle refers to the scope of the assessment of a SAF’s impact. The registry follows the convention set by ICAO CORSIA and SBTi, which evaluates the impact of SAF as well as conventional jet fuel with a life cycle assessment (LCA) from well to wake – or from feedstock origin to combustion of the fuel.
Mass balance
Proof of Compliance (POC)
The Proof of Compliance (POC) is a document that serves to replace the Proof of Sustainability (POS) document in case that was already surrendered earlier in the value chain, i.e., against a national incentive or obligation. The POC’s contents are identical to that of the POS.
Proof of Sustainability (POS)
A Proof of Sustainability (POS) is documentation that demonstrates the compliance of a specified batch of SAF with a defined set of sustainability requirements, as defined by an SCS. The POS is included in the documentation that is forwarded from the seller to the buyer of SAF.
Registry
A secure and standardized system for storing electronic data that makes it possible to consistently and efficiently register, issue, hold, transfer, and retire units.
Registry Administrator
The entity that manages the daily IT operations of the registry, and reviews and approves issuances and other actions initiated by users.
Registry Governance Board
A multi-stakeholder group that governs the registry, which represents user types in the registry and other organizations working on book and claim systems for SAF.
Retirement
In the case of SAFcA, retirement is the irrevocable assignment in the registry of the right to claim the environmental attributes of that unit to an air transport provider.
In the case of SAFcE, retirement is the irrevocable assignment in the registry of the right to claim the environmental attributes of that unit to an end-user. A SAFcE retirement is always linked to the retirement of the underlying SAFcA, as a SAFcA-SAFcE pair represent the same environmental attributes of a specific SAF volume.
If the SAFcE is retired by a logistics provider, the assignment of the right to claim the SAFcE applies both to the logistics provider and the aviation customer.
Revalidated
A unit assurance level indicating that, 12 months after issuance the Registry Administrator has checked the certifications associated with the SAFcA and found them to be still valid and the issuer of the unit has confirmed that the issuance information recorded for the SAFcA is valid and up to date. SAFcEs always have the assurance level of their underlying SAFcA.
Scope 1 emissions
This Rulebook uses the terms “Scope 1” and “Scope 3” in their colloquial sense and does not strictly adhere to the definitions established by other organisations, such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.
For the purposes of this Rulebook, Scope 1 emissions shall refer to the emissions accounted by air transport providers.
Scope 3 emissions
This Rulebook uses the terms “Scope 1” and “Scope 3” in their colloquial sense and does not strictly adhere to the definitions established by other organisations, such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and SBTi.
For the purposes of this Rulebook, Scope 3 emissions shall refer to the emissions accounted by end-users (consumers and facilitators of air transport services), which are the same emissions that air transport providers account for in their Scope 1.
Sustainability certification scheme (SCS)
A standard held by ISCC or RSB or any other ICAO-recognized entity that defines how to evaluate the sustainability performance of SAF supply chains. Examples of sustainability certification schemes include RSB and ISCC CORSIA, RSB EU RED, ISCC EU, ISCC Plus, and RSB Global.
Sustainability certification scheme holder
ISCC, RSB, or any other ICAO-recognized standard holder that defines how to evaluate the sustainability performance of SAF supply chains.
Sustainability tier
A classification of a unit that marks the unit’s conformity with a predetermined set of sustainability requirements, e.g. conformity with the “SABA Preferred” or “SABA Eligible” categories established in the SAF Sustainability Framework of the Sustainable Aviation Buyers’ Alliance (SABA).
Sustainable aviation fuel
SAFc
See definition for the term “certificate”.
Sustainable aviation fuel certificate for air transport providers (SAFcA)
SAFcA is a type of SAFc unit that represents the Scope 1 environmental attributes associated with one metric ton of neat SAF. A SAFcA can be retired by an air transport provider, vesting the retirement beneficiary with the Scope 1 claims.
Before unbundling the SAFcE, a voluntary SAFcA also represents the Scope 3 environmental attributes of the SAF.
Sustainable aviation fuel certificate for end users (SAFcE)
SAFcE is a type of SAFc unit that represents the Scope 3 environmental attributes associated with one metric ton of neat SAF. A SAFcE can be retired, vesting the end-user retirement beneficiary with the Scope 3 claims.
Unbundling
The separation of Scope 3 certificates (i.e. SAFcE) from Scope 1 certificates (i.e. SAFcA) through the creation of a SAFcE from a SAFcA on an account in the registry.
Under review
A unit assurance level indicating potential irregularities in the SAFcA’s certification or issuance information, or that the issuer has not confirmed that the LCA value and all other issuance information is valid and up to date.
SAFcEs always have the assurance level of their underlying SAFcA.
Unit
A synonym of “certificate”, e.g. a common term for SAFcAs and SAFcEs.
Unit block
A set of units that have the same unit type, were issued in the same issuance process and represent the same environmental attributes. Transfers and retirements are carried out in unit blocks. Unit blocks can be split into smaller unit blocks.
Usability tier
A unit type classification determining whether the unit can be used for voluntary claims or or only towards compliance obligations, and whether the SAFcE can be unbundled.
Validated
A unit assurance level indicating that the SAFcA has met all the conditions for issuance (e.g. it is issued by an SCS-certified fuel provider, the supply chain for the associated SAF is SCS-certified and all its relevant sustainability information was recorded in the registry). SAFcEs always have the assurance level of their underlying SAFcA.
Verified
A unit assurance level indicating that the sustainability certification of the SAF associated with a SAFcA was confirmed by the relevant certification body after the issuance of the SAFcA, or that the issuance data was reviewed (and if necessary, corrected) by the certification body. SAFcEs always have the assurance level of their underlying SAFcA.
Voluntary Retirement
Retirement of a SAFcA that enables a voluntary scope 1 claim, in that the SAFcA and/or underlying SAF not used towards a compliance obligation or an incompatible incentive scheme. SAFcE (scope 3) retirements are always voluntary.
Removal
An action in which a unit is removed from circulation in the registry and the underlying SAF becomes suitable for a new unit issuance.
3. Units in the Registry
3.1. General Provisions on Units
A unit representing the environmental attributes (in particular, the emissions reduction benefits) of a quantity of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is called a SAF certificate (SAFc). A SAFc is equivalent to a “book and claim unit” as defined in the RSB Book & Claim Manual.
There are two types of SAFc in the registry: SAFcA and SAFcE, defined in section 2.3. and with detailed provisions on issuance under section 6.
Units can be transferred to and held in accounts in the registry. There are no limitations on the number of times a unit may be transferred. Units need to be retired in order to claim the associated emissions reductions.
Units are dematerialized instruments within the registry, the ownership of which may change over time. Their dematerialized nature implies that the record in the registry about holding a unit on an account constitutes prima facie and sufficient evidence of the account holder’s title over that unit.
Irrespective of any payments, financial transactions, or contractual arrangements, the registry shall not recognize that a unit has changed ownership unless the unit is transferred in the registry from the previous account holder to the current account holder or retired on behalf of another entity without an account.
While every ton of SAF is connected to a single uniquely identifiable SAFcA, the registry displays SAFc to account holders in unit blocks. SAFcAs created in a single issuance action constitute a single unit block, but this unit block may be later split up by account holders in accordance with section 6.9. SAFcEs created with a single unbundling action also constitute a single unit block, but this unit block may be later split up by account holders in accordance with section 6.9.
3.2. Sustainable Aviation Fuel Certificate for Air transport providers (SAFcA)
SAFcA is a type of SAFc unit that at the time of its issuance represents the unbundled (i.e. both Scope 1 and Scope 3) environmental attributes associated with one metric ton of neat SAF. A SAFcA can be retired by an air transport provider, allowing the retiring entity to make the Scope 1 claims related to the life cycle environmental attributes of the SAF. If a SAFcA allows for the unbundling of a SAFcE, the SAFcA only represents Scope 1 environmental attributes after such unbundling. SAFcA are issued in accordance with the process described under section 6.2.
Each SAFcA shall be represented on the registry with the following data elements:
GHG emissions reduction value: The difference between the baseline life cycle (well-to-wake) GHG emissions of fossil jet fuel, and the adjusted life cycle assessment (LCA) value of the neat SAF in gCO2e/MJ determined during the unit issuance process set out in section 6.2. The GHG emissions reduction value is calculated using the formula in Exhibit 1 and is expressed up to three decimals. When displaying multiple SAFcAs in a block of units, the registry shall show the total amount of metric tons of SAF represented by the unit block alongside the total GHG emissions reduction value of the unit block.
Country of SAF production: Denotes the country where the SAF underlying the unit was produced.
Expiration date: Defined under section 3.9.
Unit Block Identifier: A unique identifier that differentiates a unit block from all other unit blocks in the registry.
A link to access all the issuance information provided in accordance with Annex D.
3.3. Sustainable Aviation Fuel Certificate for End users (SAFcE)
SAFcE is a type of SAFc unit that represents the unbundled Scope 3 claims pertaining to a SAFcA. Through retiring a SAFcE, the holder of the SAFcE can assign the right to claim Scope 3 reductions to the beneficiary of the retirement. If the retiring account holder is a logistics provider, both the logistics provider and an aviation customer may be beneficiaries of the retirement. SAFcEs are created through unbundling them from SAFcAs in accordance with section 6.3.
SAFcEs shall be represented on the registry with the data elements described under section 3.2.
3.4. Unit Type: Sustainability, Usability and Assurance
The unit type provides information on the sustainability tier, usability tier, and assurance level of a unit (described in sections 3.5, 3.6 and 3.7, respectively). The unit type is different from unit status, which refers to the stage where the unit is in its life cycle (for example, active or retired) as explained in section 3.10.
3.5. Sustainability Tier (SAFcA and SAFcE)
The sustainability tier, indicated by letters, is determined at SAFcA issuance (see section 6.2). There are three sustainability tiers in the registry:
“A” indicates a SABA-preferred SAFcA, i.e., a SAFcA representing SAF that meets the criteria for SABA-preferred SAF according to the SABA SAF Sustainability Framework.
“B” indicates a SABA-eligible SAFcA, i.e., a SAFcA representing SAF that meets the criteria for SABA-eligible SAF according to the SABA SAF Sustainability Framework.
“C” indicates an SCS-eligible SAFcA, i.e., a SAFcA representing SAF that meets the requirements set out under Annex E.
The sustainability tier of a unit may be changed by the registry if the issuance information is updated in accordance with section 6.7 and because of the update, the unit should be moved to a different sustainability tier.
The sustainability tier of a SAFcE is always the same as that of the underlying SAFcA. If the sustainability tier or the assurance level changes during the lifetime of a SAFcA, the registry automatically updates the sustainability tier of the SAFcE issued based on that SAFcA.
3.6. Usability Tier for SAFcA
The usability tier indicates applicability for voluntary or compliance claims and consequently, whether SAFcE unbundling is possible. The usability tier of a SAFcA is determined by the registry at issuance. Possible SAFcA usability tier changes are shown in Exhibit 2. The usability tier is indicated by a number:
“1” indicates a SAFcA that is applicable only for compliance use by air transport providers because the production of the underlying SAF has benefited from one of the government compliance or incentive mechanisms precluding voluntary use (such mechanisms are listed in Annex C). No SAFcE may be unbundled from type 1 SAFcA, as this would be incompatible with the atmospheric benefit principle.
“2” indicates a SAFcA that can be retired for voluntary purposes but from which no SAFcE has been unbundled.
“3” indicates a SAFcA that is available for voluntary purpose retirement and a SAFcE was already unbundled from the unit. The registry automatically converts type 2 SAFcA into type 3 SAFcA when SAFcE are unbundled from the SAFcA.
The registry issues a SAFcA either with a usability tier 1 or 2 depending on the applied incentive mechanisms declared by the issuer at the time of issuance. The SAFcA has a usability tier of 2 if no incentive scheme was declared.
3.7. Usability Tier for SAFcEs
The usability tier of the SAFcE is determined by whether the underlying SAFcA has already been retired. This regulates whether the SAFcE is available for retirement. The usability tier is indicated by a number:
“2” indicates that the SAFcA underlying the SAFcE is not yet retired and thus the SAFcE cannot be retired yet.
“3” indicates that the SAFcA underlying the SAFcE is already retired, and the SAFcE can be retired.
The usability tier of a SAFcE is automatically changed by the registry when the underlying SAFcA is retired. Changes to the SAFcE usability tier are mapped out in Exhibit 2.
3.8. Assurance Level (SAFcA and SAFcE)
The assurance level is a unit type classification indicating the degree of verification of the sustainability information associated with a unit. The registry uses the following assurance levels:
“VAL” indicates that a SAFcA has been validated, which means that:
the company requesting the issuance has a valid and active RSB trader certification (also known as participating operator certification).
the environmental attributes of a SAF’s supply chain were independently certified to a sustainability certification scheme by a certification body ex-ante (i.e., prior to unit issuance).
the issuance information recorded in the registry matches the sustainability attributes of the unit set out in the SAF Proof of Sustainability document.
Every SAFcA is automatically in“VAL” status at issuance.
“REV” indicates that a SAFcA has been revalidated, which means that:
12 months after issuance the Registry Administrator reviewed the certifications underlying the issuance and found them to still be valid; and
the company that has requested the issuance has confirmed that all issuance information is valid and up to date.
“VER” indicates that a SAFcA has been verified, which means that a Certification Body:
has certified the validity of the SAF’s environmental attributes ex-post (i.e., after unit issuance.); or
in the absence of a full ex-post certification process has reviewed the ex-ante certification and issuance information and found them to be still valid and up to date; and
identified any necessary changes to the issuance information in the registry and has instructed the Registry Administrator to implement these changes in the registry.
“UR” indicates that the assurance level of a SAFcA is under review, which means that 12 months after issuance:
the Registry Administrator reviewed the certification underlying the issuance and found it to be invalid, or has identified other problems or inconsistencies;
or the company that has requested the issuance has not confirmed that the issuance information is valid and up to date.
The assurance process, i.e., the process by which the assurance level of a unit may change is described under section 6.8. Changes to the SAFcA usability tier are mapped out in Exhibit 3 below.
The assurance level of the SAFcE is always the same as that of the underlying SAFcA. If the assurance level changes during the lifetime of a SAFcA, the registry automatically updates the sustainability tier and the assurance level of the SAFcE issued based on that SAFcA.
3.9. Unit Validity Period
A SAFcA shall be valid for 24 months after its issuance.
A SAFcE shall be valid for 24 months after its unbundling from the underlying SAFcA.
Units shall expire when they reach the end of their validity period.
3.10. Unit Block Statuses
Unit block status refers to the state of a unit block at a given time within the registry, independent of its usability and sustainability tiers and assurance levels.
A unit block can have the following statuses: “active", “retired”, “expired”, “blocked” and “removed”. A unit block changes status automatically as the result of an action (e.g. retirement, see actions under section 6). Exhibit 6 shows the relationship between unit block statuses and actions.
The status of a unit block is visible to its current holder or the holder of the account that has retired it, or the holder of the account where the unit was at the time of its expiry.
4. Companies and Accounts
4.1. Setting up a company in the registry
The Company Representative is a natural person nominated by the company to manage accounts and Account Representatives on the company’s behalf. Company Representatives do not have the right to initiate or approve actions unless they are also an Account Representative. Every company shall have at least one Company Representative. A Company Representative can also be nominated as the Account Representative of one or more accounts belonging to the legal entity represented by the Company Representative.
Before using the registry, Company Representatives and Account Representatives are required to confirm that they have read and agreed with the registry Terms and Conditions made available on the registry website, which shall cover - inter alia - the following:
Help desk availability.
Limitations of liability for the Registry Administrator and the company
A template for nominating Company Representatives.
The process for updating the Terms and Conditions
One company may hold multiple accounts, but one account shall belong only to one company. Accounts are not transferable.
4.2. Account Types
The registry shall contain the following account types:
Fuel provider holding account (FPHA): An FPHA can request issuance of SAFcA and unbundle SAFcE from SAFcA. They can also hold, receive, and transfer SAFcA and SAFcE.
Air transport provider holding account (ATPHA): An ATPHA can hold, receive, transfer, and retire SAFcA and SAFcE, and can also unbundle SAFcE from SAFcA.
Logistics provider holding account (LPHA): An LPHA can hold, acquire, and transfer SAFcA and SAFcE, and can also unbundle SAFcE. It may retire Type 2 and Type 3 SAFcA on behalf of an air transport provider and may retire SAFcE on its own behalf as a logistics provider beneficiary — i.e., by designating itself as the logistics provider beneficiary in addition to another account or person that is the aviation customer Scope 3 beneficiary of the retirement.
General holding account (GHA): A GHA can hold, receive, transfer, and retire Type 2 and Type 3 SAFcA on behalf of an air transport provider and can unbundle and retire SAFcE for its own use or non-registry user beneficiaries.
Any company that wants to open any account must meet the account opening requirements set out under section 4.3, while an FPHA also needs to meet the requirements set out in section 4.4.
Each account may hold the unit types and engage in the actions identified in Exhibit 5.
4.3. Opening Accounts
An account shall be opened by the Registry Administrator at the request of the Company Representative. When requesting the opening of the account, the Company Representative shall nominate at least one Account Representative in accordance with Annex B.
The Registry Administrator shall open the account or refuse account opening within 30 calendar days of the receipt of the complete set of information required.
Companies can hold multiple accounts at any given time.
4.4. Opening Fuel Provider Holding Accounts
A fuel provider is either the producer of the SAF or an entity that has subsequently received it in its chain of custody.
A fuel provider may request the opening of an FPHA from the Registry Administrator by selecting at least one sustainability certification scheme that covers the SAF’s production facility and uploading proof thereof, or if the fuel provider is not a producer of fuel, uploading proof of an active RSB trader certification.
A fuel provider must also provide information on the number of account representatives and signatures to complete actions on the account. A company can use the same SAF sustainability certification for more than one FPHA.
A company may open a FPHA and other accounts in the registry.
4.5. Account Statuses
Accounts shall be in one of the following statuses: “awaiting review”, “active”, “rejected”, “blocked” and “closed”.
An account is in “awaiting review” status when the documents required for opening or maintaining that account have been submitted, but not yet approved by the Registry Administrator. After the Registry Administrator’s review, the account is placed either in “active” or in “rejected” status.
Accounts that are not in active status may not issue, transfer, retire, delete, or receive any units. A closed account may not be reopened, whereas a blocked account may be reopened if the conditions for blocking set out under section 4.6 are no longer present.
Exhibit 6 shows the relationships between account statuses.
4.6. Blocking an Account
The Registry Administrator shall block the account or accounts of a company if:
the company has failed to pay any outstanding registry fees despite repeated notifications, or
the company did not notify the Registry Administrator about changes to account information or provide evidence concerning changes to account information or concerning new requirements on account information; or
the Registry Administrator considers that the opening of the account should have been refused; or
the company has violated or failed to accept a new version of the Terms and Conditions; or
in the case of an FPHA, the company’s certification has expired.
The Registry Administrator may block an account if the Registry Administrator or a law enforcement agency has reasonable grounds to believe that the account is or was used for fraud, money laundering, terrorist financing, corruption, or other serious crimes.
The Registry Administrator shall unblock the account once the reasons that gave rise to blocking are eliminated. Unblocking may be subject to a fee, except in cases where the blocking has happened in accordance with (paragraph 2) above.
4.7. Closing an Account and removing a company from the registry
The Registry Administrator shall close an account at the request of the company if the account holds no active units.
The Registry Administrator shall remove a company from the registry at the request of the company if the company holds no active or blocked accounts and has no outstanding account fees.
The Registry Administrator may close an account if the account has been blocked for over 12 months and no active units remain on the account. As part of such an account closure, the Registry Administrator may also deactivate inactive users connected to that account, if they are not active on other accounts. If the account to be closed is the company’s sole account, the Registry Administrator may also remove the company from the Registry.
A company that requests that its account be closed even though the account holds active units is to be required by the Registry Administrator to transfer the active units to another account. When the account no longer holds any active units, it can be closed.
5. Certification Bodies
5.1. Rights of Certification Bodies
Certification Bodies are able to access sustainability information on SAFcs that were created based on certifications they issued. Such access shall be provided to them by the Registry Administrator. They may request the Registry Administrator to update issuance information, change the assurance level of a unit or request that a unit is blocked or removed.
To gain access to information on a particular unit in the registry, a Certification Body shall be required by the Registry Administrator to provide proof of a valid authorization (accreditation) under an SCS to audit and certify the fuel provider that issued that unit.
6. Key Registry Actions – Issuance, unbundling, transfer, retirement
6.1. General Rules for All Actions
Each account type may only initiate the actions permitted for it as set out in Exhibit 5.
When an action is proposed, the registry platform automatically checks for irregularities or errors and may reject actions if they do not meet the requirements set out in this Rulebook. Such checks would ensure — inter alia — that the recipient account exists and is not blocked and can hold the unit block in the action, and that the unit block to be transferred has not expired.
6.2. Issuance of SAFcAs
A SAFcA represents Scope 1 emissions reductions and enables an air transport provider to make a Scope 1 emissions reduction claim based on the volume of SAF represented by the SAFcA, through the use of the retirement action set out under section 6.5. A SAFcA can be issued in the registry if the corresponding SAF volume is or was in the 30 days preceding issuance in the chain of custody of an SCS-certified entity with a supply chain that is also certified to a sustainability certification scheme (SCS), e.g., an RSB or ISCC standard.
The holder of an FPHA may request the issuance of a SAFcA unit block by providing the information set out under Annex D on the registry interface. Unit blocks can only be issued after the SAF is blended or certified as drop-in according to ASTM Standard D7566. The mass balance system must be implemented up until blending or alternative ASTM certification. Unit blocks can only be issued for SAF that is or has been in the preceding 30 days in the issuing company’s chain of custody at the time it requests to issue SAFcA.
At the time of issuance, units in a block of SAFcA shall represent SAF volumes that belong to the same batch, but a single batch of SAF may serve as the basis for multiple issuances. This is without prejudice to the possibility of splitting the unit blocks into multiple blocks later.
SAFcA may only be issued for SAF that is actively certified as sustainable under one of the following certification schemes:
RSB CORSIA
ISCC CORSIA
RSB EU RED
ISCC EU
RSB Global
ISCC Plus
The holding company of the FPHA requesting issuance must hold an active RSB trader certification (also known as participating operator certification) at the time of issuance.
The holder of the FPHA requesting issuance must warrant that the issuance information submitted on the registry interface is true, correct and in line with the information set out in the SAF’s Proof of Sustainability document (POS). If the POS is not available because it has been already retired earlier in the value chain, e.g., against a national incentive, a document considered equivalent to a POS by the SCS of the issuer’s certification (e.g., Proof of Compliance or POC) must be submitted that contains all the information required in the POS.
The registry conducts automated validity and system checks on the issuance request. The Registry Administrator also checks whether the certification of the issuer is still valid, whether the uploaded POS information is correct and whether the same batch of SAF was not already used for the issuance of SAFcA. The registry then:
calculates the SAFcA’s adjusted LCA value in accordance with the rules set out in Annex F.
determines the SAFcA’s sustainability tier in accordance with the rules set out in Annex E.
determines the SAFcA’s usability tier in accordance with the rules set out in Annex C.
sets the assurance level of the SAFcA to validated (VAL).
Once the usability tier, sustainability tier and assurance level of the SAFcA are determined, the registry issues the unit block to the FPHA and records the issuance information in the registry.
6.3. Unbundling of SAFcEs
A SAFcE represents Scope 3 emissions reductions and can be created by unbundling it from a SAFcA. A SAFcE enables an end-user (an aviation customer or a logistics provider) to make a Scope 3 emissions reduction claim based on the same volume of SAF represented by the SAFcA that said SAFcE was unbundled from, through the use of the retirement action set out in section 6.6.
The holder of an active (i.e., not retired, blocked or expired) Type 2 SAFcA unit block may request the unbundling of a SAFcE unit block from that SAFcA. The usability tier of the SAFcE is set to Type 2 upon unbundling and shall automatically change to Type 3 when the underlying SAFcA is retired. The sustainability tier and the assurance level of the SAFcE is the same as that of the underlying SAFcA.
When the SAFcE unit block is unbundled from the underlying SAFcA block, the registry changes the usability tier of said SAFcA unit block from 2 to 3. This also means that in accordance with section 6.9, the SAFcA unit block cannot be split after the unbundling of the SAFcE.
6.4. Transferring unit blocks
The holder of an active account with active unit blocks may request the transfer of these unit blocks to another active account by designating the unit blocks to be transferred and selecting the recipient account. Unit block transfers are also permitted between accounts held by companies registered in different countries.
After conducting the necessary system checks, the registry requests that the holder of the recipient account confirm acceptance of the transfer. If acceptance is confirmed within 72 hours the registry carries out the transfer. If no confirmation is received, the transfer fails.
The moment of transfer constitutes the definitive legal transfer of ownership of the unit block, regardless of any underlying contracts, agreements, outstanding payments, or disputes between holders of the transferring and receiving accounts or any third parties. Unless ordered by court decision to do so, the registry shall not transfer any unit blocks from any accounts in response of claims made by third parties.
6.5. Retirement of SAFcAs
The holder of an ATPHA, GHA, or LPHA may request the retirement of an active SAFcA unit block on its account.
When requesting retirement, the account holder shall designate the calendar year for which the retirement shall apply, i.e., the year in which the company intends to report emissions reduction claims about the use of the SAF.
If the retiring account is an ATPHA, the registry requests that the holder of the ATPHA declare whether the retired units are intended to be claimed against international or domestic Scope 1 emissions.
If the retiring account is a GHA or an LPHA, it shall designate an ATPHA or an air transport provider not registered in the registry on whose behalf the SAFcA is retired. The registry also prompts the ATPHA to indicate whether the retirement is for domestic or international purposes. Such retirements are always deemed to be used for voluntary Scope 1 claims purposes by the airlines, and therefore cannot be used for compliance purposes. GHAs and LPHAs thus may not retire Type 1 SAFcAs.
If the unit block being retired is a Type 1 SAFcA (i.e., retirement is for compliance purposes), the registry requests that the retiring ATPHA designates any air transport provider compliance obligation the retirement is intended for.
If the unit block being retired is a Type 2 SAFcA (i.e., retirement is for voluntary purposes, but a SAFcE is not yet unbundled), the retiring account shall designate an aviation customer for the associated Scope 3 claims. The aviation customer may be:
the company that has requested the retirement in the registry (i.e. the holder of the retiring account)
a company or a natural person that has no account in the registry
In the case of Type 2 SAFcA retirements, the registry unbundles the corresponding SAFcE unit block and retires it on behalf of the designated aviation customer.
If the designated aviation customer beneficiary of the SAFcE has no account in the registry, the holder of the retiring account must expressly warrant that the designation is taking place with the consent of this aviation customer. The holder of the retiring account must also provide an email address for the aviation customer so that the registry can inform it of the designation.
If the SAFcA unit block being retired is a Type 3 SAFcA (i.e., retirement is for voluntary purposes, but a SAFcE is already unbundled), the registry changes the unit type of the linked SAFcEs from 2 to 3.
After conducting the necessary system checks, the registry moves the retired SAFcA unit block to the retirement account and records the retirement in the registry.
If the retiring account is an LPHA, the registry also records the company holding the LPHA as a logistics provider beneficiary in addition to the aviation customer designated in accordance with paragraph 6.
6.6. Retirement of SAFcEs
The holder of an ATPHA, GHA, or LPHA may request the registry to retire a block of active Type 3 SAFcE (i.e., a SAFcE where the underlying SAFcA was already retired) on its account. Retirement is permitted for unit blocks with all assurance levels except for Under Review.
When requesting retirement, the account holder shall designate the calendar year for which the retirement shall apply, i.e., the year in which the company intends to report Scope 3 claims about the SAF. This period can be any period between the issuance of the underlying SAFcA until the expiry of the SAFcE.
When requesting retirement, the company shall designate an aviation customer for the associated Scope 3 claims. The aviation customer may be:
the company that has requested the retirement in the registry (i.e. the holder of the retiring account)
a company or a natural person that has no account in the registry
If a SAFcE unit block is retired for an aviation customer that has no account in the registry, the holder of the retiring account must expressly warrant that the designation is taking place with the consent of this aviation customer. The company must also provide an email address for the aviation customer so that the registry can inform it of the designation.
After conducting the necessary system checks, the registry moves the retired SAFcE unit block to the retirement account and records the retirement.
If the retiring account is an LPHA, the registry also records the company holding the LPHA as a logistics provider beneficiary in addition to the aviation customer beneficiaries.
6.7. Updating SAFcA Issuance Information
For a period of 12 months after issuance, the account holder of the issued SAFcA unit block with VAL assurance level may update the issuance information related to the unit block if the information recorded at issuance is incorrect, in which case the Registry Administrator will provide comparable checks as during the issuance process to ascertain the accuracy of the updated information.
A Certification Body may also request an update of the issuance information as part of its review in accordance with section 6.8.
The updating of issuance information may result in the change of a SAFcA’s Sustainability Tier, which shall be carried out by the Registry Administrator.
6.8 Assurance Process
The purpose of the assurance process is to ensure that a unit is represented with an accurate and up-to-date indication of the degree of certainty in the sustainability attributes of the unit. The meaning of the four possible assurance levels (“validated” or VAL; “revalidated” or REV, “verified” or VER, “under review” or UR) are described in section 3.4. The assurance process is applicable to all active and retired unit blocks. The assurance process is primarily carried out on SAFcAs, while SAFcEs always have the same assurance level as their underlying SAFcA.
All SAFcAs are placed into the VAL assurance level upon issuance.
11 months after issuance the Registry Administrator prompts the representative account that has requested issuance to:
provide updated audit documentation for SAFcAs with VAL assurance level, if available,
confirm that the issuance information recorded for these SAFcAs in the registry is correct and up to date.
12 months after issuance the Registry Administrator checks whether the representative account that has requested issuance has responded to the prompts set out under iii), and sets the SAFcAs assurance level to:
“revalidated” (REV), if the issuer complied with the prompts and there are no discrepancies between the issuance information and the audit documentation; or
“under review” (UR) and contact the relevant Certification Body if the issuer has not provided any updated audit information, or has not confirmed that the issuance information recorded in the registry is correct and up to date, or if there are discrepancies between the issuance information and the audit documentation. Units with a “UR” assurance level are blocked by the Registry Administrator until their assurance level changes.
The holder or the issuer of an active SAFcA, or the company that has retired a SAFcA may request the Certification Body responsible for the certification of the issuer of the SAFcA to review the assurance level of a SAFcA, provided that the SAFcA is not already in VER assurance level. After reviewing the certification documentation and the issuance information of the SAFcA, the Certification Body may instruct the Registry Administrator to:
adjust the SAFcA’s issuance information,
set the SAFcAs assurance level to “verified” (VER),
6.9. Splitting unit blocks
An account may unilaterally and unconditionally choose to split unit blocks of active Type 1 and Type 2 SAFcAs and SAFcEs by determining the number of units (i.e., tons of SAF) or the amount GHG reductions that should be added to the newly created unit block. Type 3 SAFcA unit blocks may not be split up in order to maintain their connection to associated SAFcEs.
The smallest possible unit block represents 0.001 tons of SAF.
6.10. Blocking and unblocking units
The Registry Administrator may block an active unit block if it has reasonable grounds to suspect that some irregularity or criminal activity took place during the issuance or the transfer of the unit block. The Certification Body of the unit block may also request the blocking of the unit block on the same grounds in accordance with section 6.8. A blocked unit block may not undergo any actions.
The Registry Administrator shall also block units that receive the “UR” assurance level in accordance with section 7.2.
The Registry Administrator shall unblock a unit block if the suspicions were proven to be unfounded, or this was requested by the Certification Body requesting the initial blocking.
Blocking shall not influence the unit block’s expiry date.
6.11. Removal and expiry of units
Removal of units means the permanent removal of the unit block from the registry system.
The holder of an active account may request the Registry Administrator to remove an active unit block from the account. The removed unit block is then transferred to the registry’s removed units account.
If a SAFcA is removed, the underlying SAF becomes available for a new issuance action provided that the initial conditions for issuance are met.
Type 3 SAFcA unit blocks may not be removed.
The removal of all SAFcE related to a SAFcA causes the underlying SAFcA to be converted from a Type 3 to a Type 2 SAFcA.
The Registry Administrator may remove unit blocks suspended in accordance with section 6.9 if it is established that irregularities or criminal activities did take place during the issuance, transfer, or retirement of the unit block and that these cannot be remedied otherwise. The Registry Administrator may also remove expired or retired unit blocks for administrative, security, data management, or privacy purposes.
The registry shall automatically set to expired status any unit block that has reached the end of its validity period in accordance with section 3.7.
7. Issuance, Retirement Information, Public Website and Confidentiality
7.1. Issuance Information
Issuance information, that is, information regarding the production, certification, and environmental attributes of the SAF underlying a SAFc shall be available to the SAFc’s issuers, holders, retirers and to those on whose behalf the SAFc was retired. Issuance information contains all the elements set out under Annex D and Annex F for every SAFc.
The issuer, the current holder, the retirer and the retirement beneficiary of a SAFcE shall have access to all the issuance information of the SAFcA that is underlying said SAFcE.
7.2. Retirement information
Retirement information, that is, information regarding a retirement’s beneficiary, the claim year, and other retirement characteristics shall be available to the SAFc’s retirers and the beneficiaries of the retirement. Retirement information contains all the elements set out under Annex G.
Once recorded, retirement information may not be changed, unless:
Updates were required as part of the Assurance process (see section 6.8).
As part of the process of adding end-users to earlier retirements in accordance with section 6.6.
Any changes to retirement information shall be carried out by the Registry Administrator.
7.3. Retirement Statements
The account holder that has retired a unit block or the beneficiary of that retirement may request the registry to provide a retirement statement in a digital format which provides printable proof that they have retired or were the beneficiaries of the retirement of a particular SAFcA or SAFcE.
The retirement statement shall contain the information set out in Annex H.
Such electronic statements shall be protected against manipulation with a QR code or other means that the Registry Administrator may consider expedient.
Retirement statements shall be issued with a disclaimer indicating that the statement is merely an extract from the registry on the day it was provided and is not definitive proof of the up-to-date information held in the registry.
7.4. Public Website of the registry
The public website shall make public every retirement that has taken place in a searchable tabular form by displaying the Retirement Statement elements set out in Annex H.
Individuals or companies shown on the public website may request the Registry Administrator to have their names redacted on the public website.
The public website may display the following information on SAFcA and SAFcE quantities:
The total volume of all active units in the registry, by unit type, certification type and feedstock type
The total volume of units retired, separated by year of retirement, unit type, certification type or feedstock type
The total volume of all expired units
The total volume of all removed units
7.5. Confidentiality
All data in the registry that is not expressly defined as public in this Rulebook is confidential. Confidential data shall not be disclosed to anyone and shall be accessible only to the Registry Administrator who shall access information only in connection with the execution of their duties and treat this information as strictly confidential. Certification Bodies shall also have access to information on units based on certifications issued by them.
In particular, the public website shall not display information regarding the identity of the companies involved in unit block transfers, the volumes involved in such transfers, or total volumes purchased by any one company.
8. Technical Requirements of the Registry
8.1. IT Requirements of the registry
The registry shall be scalable to be able respond to increases in usage.
Each action in the registry shall be logged, and a full audit trail of every action shall be kept.
The registry shall conduct internal checks on all actions to ensure that technical requirements are met, inconsistencies are prevented, and the rules set out in this Rulebook are adhered to.
The registry shall be protected against breaches of IT security, such as viruses, hacks, and other cyberattacks. In particular, the registry shall use two-factor authentication to authenticate Company Representatives and Account Representatives when using the system.
The registry shall ensure that data is protected against unauthorized manipulation and that any change in data is automatically and securely recorded.
8.2. Availability and Reliability of the Registry
The registry shall strive to be available to be accessed by companies 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and ensure that service interruptions are kept to a minimum.
The registry shall run in IT facilities that provide state-of-the-art backup solutions in the event of a breakdown in the operations of the primary hardware and software.
The registry shall safeguard all relevant data and ensure that data and operations may be promptly recovered in the event of a failure or disaster.
The registry’s public website shall be continuously available except for unavoidable service interruptions. The public website shall be updated at least once every 24 hours.
The registry shall have a help desk that shall be available at the times specified in the Terms and Conditions of use.
9. Management of the Registry
9.1. The Registry Administrator
The Registry Administrator is a professional IT organization engaged by the Registry Executive Committee to manage the daily operations of the registry in accordance with this Rulebook. In this capacity, the Registry Administrator:
takes all reasonable steps to ensure the availability of the IT infrastructure as set out under section 8.1,
opens, blocks, or closes accounts, reviews and approves Company Representatives and Account Representatives,
operates the helpdesk for the registry,
may initiate actions on accounts if instructed by the Account Representative of the account, a Certification Body, or a relevant government authority,
prepares and implements changes mandated by the Governance Board,
collects registry fees from companies.
The Registry Administrator is authorized to carry out any action on any account in the system, within the limits of this Rulebook and the Terms and Conditions.
The Registry Administrator may be subject to regular audits to ensure that the requirements described in this Rulebook are consistently implemented by the Registry Administrator.
The Registry Administrator cannot be an entity that holds an account (except for system accounts) in the registry.
9.2. The Registry Executive Committee
The Registry Executive Committee consists of representatives of RMI, the Environmental Defense Fund, the Executive Secretary of the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance and any other persons the Environmental Defense Fund and RMI mutually agree to appoint to the Executive Committee.
The Registry Executive Committee is responsible for the overall management of the registry, and in particular:
engages, oversees and instructs the work of the Registry Administrator,
proposes major registry changes to the Governance Board for approval, and oversees the implementation of these changes by the Registry Administrator,
decides on the registry’s revenue model in consultation with the Governance Board,
informs the Board of any major development or issues related to the registry,
keeps the Rulebook up-to-date in line with any approved changes,
manages the further development of the registry software,
decides on emergency measures if such are needed to protect the security and integrity of the registry.
9.3. The Registry Governing Board
The Registry Governing Board consists of up to 15 members from a broad range of registry stakeholders invited to serve for a fixed period of time.
The Registry Governing Board:
approves major operational and design changes to the registry,
consults with the Executive Committee on the registry’s revenue model,
discusses other matters relating to the operations of the registry.
Annex A: Information Required to Register a Company
When setting up a company in the registry, the representative of the requesting legal person must provide the Registry Administrator with the information set out in Exhibit 7.
As part of its evaluation process, the Registry Administrator may also require the following additional documentation and information:
the company’s articles of incorporation or equivalent in its jurisdiction
the company’s registration number
copy of a recent (less than 90 days old) bank statement or documentation of an active bank account with the company's name and address. (Data on account holdings should be redacted)
information on whether the applicant has
accounts in other voluntary Book and Claim registries (e.g. RSB registry, Avelia, etc.)
business partners who already have accounts in the registry
if setting up a GHA, information on the company’s business, the type of activity they are planning to support with the registry account (e.g. end-user beneficiary of unit retirements, market intermediary, broker, trader, bank, unit retailer, etc.)
a copy of the annual report or of the latest audited financial statements, or, if no audited financial statements are available, a copy of the financial statements stamped by the tax office or the financial director.
name of the legal entity’s beneficial owner.
a list of the company’s directors
The Registry Administrator may use an external service provider to validate the information provided by registering companies.
The evidence required above might be supplied through submitting originals, digitally certified copies, or copies certified by a notary public. If the documents are not in English, the Registry Administrator may require a certified translation of the documents.
Annex B: Company Representatives and Account Representatives
B/1: Setting up Company Representatives and Account Representatives
As part of the process of setting up a company in the registry, the company must also nominate a Company Representative, and provide the following information to the registry:
a statement from the legal representative of the company indicating that it wishes to nominate a particular person as Company Representative. A template for this statement is provided in the User Guide.
the email address of the Company Representative.
An Account Representative can be nominated by providing their email address.
The Registry Administrator may require additional verification documents to complete the verification of Account Representatives and Company Representatives, such as evidence to support the identity of the nominee for a KYC check, such as an identity card, passport, or other personal identification document, or an affidavit certified by a notary public.
The Registry Administrator may use an external service provider to validate the identity of nominated Account Representatives and Company Representatives.
Any evidence required might be supplied through submitting scanned copies of originals, digitally certified copies, or copies certified by a notary public. If the documents are not in English, and English translation may be required by the Registry Administrator.
B/2: Rights of Company Representatives and Account Representatives
Account Representatives can access their accounts, may initiate actions or approve actions initiated by another Account Representative. Every account shall always have at least one Account Representative, and the Company Representative shall determine the Account Representative’s action initiation and approval rights, i.e., whether they can initiate and/or approve actions on their own, or they need countersigning by another Account Representative.
In addition to the Account Representatives specified above, the Company Representative may also designate persons with read-only access to accounts.
All Account Representatives shall receive notifications of all actions initiated or approved by all other Account Representatives.
If an Account Representative cannot access the registry for technical or other reasons, the Registry Administrator, in accordance with the rights assigned to that Account Representative, may initiate, or approve actions on behalf of the Account Representative upon request, provided that the access of the Account Representative was not suspended.
Company Representatives and Account Representatives shall be natural persons over 18 years of age. The same person can be an Account Representative on multiple accounts. A Company Representative can also be nominated as the Account Representative of one or more accounts. Company Representatives and Account Representatives may not transfer their role to others.
The Registry Administrator shall approve or reject Company Representative and Account Representative nominations within 30 calendar days. This period may be prolonged once by another 30 days with a notification to the requesting entity if more time is needed for the evaluation of the documents.
The Registry Administrator shall verify whether the information and documents provided for nominating an Account Representative are complete, up to date, and accurate.
The Registry Administrator shall refuse approval if it has knowledge that the nominated Account Representative is under investigation for or has been convicted of fraud, money laundering, terrorist financing, or other serious crimes for which the account may be an instrument.
The Registry Administrator may refuse to approve a Company Representative or an Account Representative if:
the information and documents provided are incomplete, out of date, inaccurate, or false, or their validity cannot be verified or are otherwise suspicious.
If the Registry Administrator has reasonable grounds to believe that the accounts may be used for fraud involving allowances, money laundering, terrorist financing, or other serious crimes.
An Account Representative shall be removed from the account at the request of the Company Representative. The Company Representative may be removed at the request of another Company Representative, but only if there remains at least one Company Representative.
The Registry Administrator may remove a Company Representative or an Account Representative if it considers that the approval of the Account Representative should have been refused in accordance with the provisions of this Article, and in particular if it discovers that the documents and the identification information provided upon nomination were incomplete, out of date, or otherwise inaccurate or false.
The Registry Administrator may suspend access to accounts of a Company Representative or an Account Representative if it has reasonable grounds to believe that the Company Representative or Account Representative has:
attempted to access accounts or actions for which they are not authorized;
repeatedly attempted to access accounts or actions with an incorrect username or password; or
attempted to compromise the security, availability, integrity, or confidentiality of the registry and its data.
B/3: Updating information on Accounts, Company Representatives and Account Representatives
Company Representatives shall update any changes to account information on the registry. Changes are subject to the approval of the Registry Administrator before taking effect.
If the change requires evaluation by the Registry Administrator, the update shall be accompanied by the necessary supporting documentation, which is evaluated by the Registry Administrator
The Registry Administrator shall regularly review if documentation submitted is up to date and notifies the company if an update is required.
Annex C: Government Compliance and Incentive Mechanisms
C/1. Compliance and incentive mechanisms applicable to SAF Production at SAFcA issuance
Use or reporting obligation under one of the following government compliance or incentive mechanisms to report or support the production of SAF is deemed to be incompatible with the atmospheric benefit principle set out in the SABA SAF Sustainability Framework and shall result in the issuance of Usability Tier 1 SAFcAs (i.e. the unbundling of SAFcEs on the basis of these SAFcAs is not allowed):
Blending mandates in France, Norway, Sweden
Refuel EU
Netherlands HBE
Use of the following government incentive mechanisms to support the production of SAF results in the issuance of Usability Tier 2 SAFcAs (i.e. the holder of the SAFcA is allowed to unbundle the SAFcE):
The following Low-Carbon Fuel Standards:
the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard;
the Washington State Clean Fuels Standard);
the Oregon Clean Fuels Program,
the British Columbia Renewable and Low Carbon Fuel Requirements Obligation
USA Inflation Reduction Act tax credits
USA Renewable Fuels Standards
Any other incentive mechanisms not mentioned under (paragraph 1.)
The Usability Tier is determined as part of the Unit Tier evaluation process described in Annex E.
C/2. Compliance mechanisms applicable to SAFcA retirement
The SAFcA to be retired can only be a SAFcA with a Usability Tier 1 (i.e. compliance), if an ATPHA is retiring a SAFcA with the intention (notified with the retirement request to the registry) of claiming the SAF use in one of the following compliance mechanisms:
CORSIA
The SAFcA to be retired can only be a SAFcA with a usability Tier 2 (i.e. voluntary) if an ATPHA is retiring a SAFcA with the intention of claiming the SAF use for:
Voluntary purposes
Applicable regulatory mechanisms not mentioned in (paragraph 1.).
Annex D: Issuance Information Requirements
In accordance with section 6.2, the following information must be added to the registry on the basis of the SAF’s POS or POC documentation when requesting issuance of SAFcA:
For all SAF, the information set out in Exhibit 8 below.
For CORSIA-certified SAF using Default LCA values in the POS, the data elements listed in Exhibit 17 in Annex F.
For CORSIA-certified SAF using Actual LCA values in the POS, the data elements listed in Exhibit 18 in Annex F.
For EU RED, RSB Global, or ISCC Plus-certified SAF using Default LCA values in the POS, the data elements listed in in Exhibit 19 in Annex F.
For EU RED, RSB Global, or ISCC Plus-certified SAF using Actual LCA values in the POS, the data elements listed in Exhibit 20 in Annex F.
Annex E: Methodology for Evaluating the Sustainability and Usability Tiers of a SAFcA at Issuance
In accordance with section 6.2, the Sustainability Tier of a SAFcA at issuance is evaluated on the basis of the information and documentation provided by the issuer as part of the issuance information set out in Annex D.
The requirements for the SABA Preferred Tier and the SABA Eligible Tier are set out in the SABA SAF Sustainability Framework.
SAFcA that does not meet either of these sets of requirements is issued as SCS Eligible, provided that all other conditions for SAFcA issuance are met. In particular, to be classified as SCS Eligible the SAF must be certified according to one of the certification schemes listed under section 6.2.
The registry evaluates the Sustainability Tier using the process set out below in Exhibits 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14. The process is structured in successive phases, where the unit has to complete each phase before proceeding to the next one.
Once the Sustainability Tier evaluation process is complete, the system checks if a SAFcA has a negative adjusted LCA value. Given that negative adjusted LCA values are not allowed under the SABA Preferred Tier and the SABA Eligible Tier, the registry prompts the user to decide if it prefers to change the unit’s Tier to SCS Eligible or set the unit’s adjusted LCA to zero. This is done with the process set out in Exhibit 15.
Afterwards, the system establishes the unit’s Usability Tier in accordance with section 6.2. This is done with the process set out in Exhibit 16.
Annex F: Methodology for Calculating the Adjusted LCA Value
As indicated under section 6.2, the registry calculates the SAF’s adjusted LCA value during the issuance process as part of determining the Sustainability Tier applicable to the unit. The adjusted LCA value may differ from the LCA values set out in a SAF’s POS document as it removes certain elements from the calculation in accordance with the requirements of that sustainability tier (e.g. for units in the sustainability tier “SABA-eligible”, displacement emissions values are not counted towards the adjusted LCA)
There are twelve different formulas for calculating the adjusted LCA. The applicable adjusted LCA value formula depends on:
the type of certification scheme applicable to the SAF (e.g. CORSIA or EU RED)
whether actual or default values are used in the POS
the unit’s prospective sustainability tier
The adjusted LCA formulas are available in Exhibits 17, 18, 19, 20 below. The terms in the formulas are to be derived from the SAF’s POS document and are uploaded by the issuer as part of the issuance information (see Annex D).
Annex G: Public Retirement Information
In accordance with section 7.2, the information set out below in Exhibit 21 is represented in the registry as retirement information.
Annex H: Retirement Statement
Retirement Statements shall contain the information set out below. This information shall also be available on the registry’s public website.
Unique retirement statement number
Date of issue
Number of SAFcAs or SAFcEs retired
Unit block IDs of SAFcAs or SAFcEs retired
Name of retiring user
Name of retirement beneficiaries
Name of logistics provider beneficiary, if applicable
List of sustainability characteristics linked to the retired SAFc, including:
amount in megajoules (MJ)
sustainability certification (e.g, RSB Global, EU RED, etc.)
assurance level
sustainability tier
feedstock type
feedstock country of origin
GHG core LCA value (in gCO2e/MJ)
fossil baseline of reference (linked to sustainability certification scheme)
additional sustainability claims linked to RSB certification if the product is RSB certified (e.g., low ILUC risk)
declaration of SAF incentives
year of production (product vintage)
country of SAF blending
airport where SAF is delivered (if known)
country where the SAF will be claimed (if known)
information on the absolute GHG emissions reduction expressed in metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent
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