Clean Air Transport

A partnership supporting the decarbonization of air transportation.

Launched in 2023, SFC’s Clean Air Transport program has grown to unite more than 90 internationally active first movers on sustainable aviation in the freight sector, leveraging increased transparency of the GHG emissions from air freight services to drive decarbonization measures across the air transport sector. Air freight decarbonization will depend on increased utilization rates within the system as a whole, ongoing fleet renewal towards newer, more efficient aircraft, and a significant ramp up of SAF availability and use in the market, supported by a common and well-accepted book and claim framework (until SAF use is the norm).

To implement these measures and achieve meaningful change, stakeholders along the value chain need to exchange and cooperate. For this reason, the Clean Air Transport program is designed as a platform to facilitate exchange and collaboration between shippers, freight forwarders, airlines, fuel providers and other relevant stakeholders in aviation decarbonization.

SFC’s Clean Air Transport program will address all of the issues mentioned above, working with strategic partners and scheme members to leverage increased access to, and use of, primary data. This will support decision-making to reduce GHG emissions and roll out practical book and claim guidelines to accelerate the use of SAF. We will also work with program members and other partners such as SBTi to further develop the GLEC methodology. Our aim is to support alignment in target setting within the air transport sector and exchange on measures and best practices taken to achieve such targets. As part of this effort, we conduct an annual Airline ESG Survey to assess industry progress, identify key challenges, and support data-driven improvements in sustainability practices.

Organizations on their journey to freight decarbonization can become a member of Smart Freight Centre and join the SFC community. Members have access to a wide portfolio of initiatives and projects to help them collaborate to improve their GHG emission performance and supply chain economics. Membership unlocks solutions through several SFC programs, including  Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC), Clean Cargo, Global Ro-Ro Community, Sustainable Freight Buyers Alliance (SFBA), and Clean Air Transport.

All SFC members can participate in Clean Air Transport, attend its member meetings, engage in its working groups and benefit from extensive best practice sharing.

Airlines that participate in Clean Air Transport are encouraged to participate in our annual SFC Airline ESG Survey and will receive a benchmarking report highlighting key industry trends and challenges.

Shippers and Logistics Service Providers that participate in Clean Air Transport receive access to a consolidated report containing the detailed information annually provided by airlines in the SFC Airline ESG Survey.