Amex GBT: How Will the UK SAF Mandate Impact Business?
How can businesses lead the way in making 2025 a transformative year for SAF adoption? What does the UK SAF Mandate mean for the future of the aviation sector?
Drew Crawley is President of American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT), a leading B2B travel platform, providing software and services to manage travel, expenses, and meetings & events for companies of all sizes.
Before joining in 2020, he served as Chief Executive of IAG Cargo, Chief Commercial Officer at British Airways and was an Executive Board Member of British Airways plc.
He discusses the new SAF regulation and the role of businesses in this interview.
What is SAF?
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is an alternative to traditional jet fuel that can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of air travel, with emissions cut by up to 80% over its lifecycle compared to traditional fuels. SAF can be used in the existing fuel distribution systems and works in conventional fuel aircraft which means it’s a realistic, and scalable solution. It accounts for 65% of the International Air Transport Association’s Fly Net Zero roadmap.
As the aviation industry faces mounting pressure to work towards emission reduction goals, scaling SAF has become critical. The growing emphasis on SAF mandates and regulatory frameworks, such as the UK’s SAF Mandate, underscores its importance in driving the sector toward a more sustainable future.
Please introduce Amex GBT's sustainability strategy
Amex GBT is committed to advancing the adoption of cleaner, more sustainable travel , with a focus on measuring, managing and mitigating emissions from air travel – more than 90% of business travel emissions come from air travel. Central to this strategy is the promotion of SAF through initiatives like the Avelia programme, which we launched in partnership with Shell Aviation. Avelia is one of the world’s first blockchain-powered book-and-claim solutions for SAF and since its inception in 2022, it has been responsible for injecting over 18 million gallons of SAF into the aviation fuelling system at thirteen airport locations around the world.
Additionally, just last month we launched an integrated emissions-based carbon pricing tool where customers can apply a carbon fee to their air travel. These fees can be visible to business travellers as they shop, and can appear on their invoice, helping companies inform employees about their carbon impact and corporate sustainability initiatives.
Some Amex GBT clients already use carbon pricing to apply flat or dynamic fees. But now, customers can track CO2 emissions specific to their flights and funnel funds towards sustainability investments. A price on carbon can seamlessly create a self-sustaining fund for decarbonisation projects such as SAF, electric vehicles (EVs), research & development (R&D), and more.
What is the UK SAF Mandate?
The UK’s SAF Mandate officially came into force at the start of 2025 and dictates that SAF must comprise at least 2% of all jet fuel used for flights departing the UK - the percentage currently stands at around 0.3%. The mandated amount is set to rise to 10% by 2030 and 22% by 2040. While there is a long way to go, this is a crucial step toward achieving net-zero aviation. It will also help boost energy security and the UK’s economic competitiveness in the global landscape, with key partners such as the EU also introducing a SAF mandate and the US implementing SAF incentives.
The transformational change needed to decarbonise business travel will be private sector-led but government-enabled. Industry requires regulatory certainty – it’s crucial to have clear policy frameworks in place that support the growth of SAF. The stakes are high, and the path forward hinges on overcoming significant challenges. Yet the convergence of regulatory requirements, expanded production capabilities, and increasing corporate demand signals a turning point.
How can SAF make aviation more sustainable? What are the benefits and challenges?
SAF can help reduce aviation’s carbon footprint by lowering lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions compared to traditional jet fuel. For us, the key benefit of SAF is that it gives corporates a viable path to reduce their emissions associated with business travel, helping decouple economic growth from emissions growth. Challenges include high production costs and the need for more infrastructure and investment to scale up its adoption.
Key to responding to these challenges is acceptance of ‘book-and-claim’ - a financing and delivery mechanism that simplifies SAF distribution while ensuring accountability. Book-and-claim allows travellers to pay for SAF and claim the environmental benefits, even if SAF is not available at their departure airport - SAF will instead be fed into another aircraft in an airport where available. While SAF supply remains limited, corporates – or any end user – can utilise book-and-claim mechanisms to access SAF and accurately account for the emissions associated with it.
What is emissions-based carbon pricing, and why and how has Amex GBT introduced it?
Emissions-based carbon pricing is a system where businesses apply a fee to air travel based on the specific carbon emissions of each flight, which can then be channelled towards sustainable investments. Clients can now choose a carbon fee that works for them, and choose to align it with the carbon calculation methodology that works for them.
We actually introduced carbon pricing at the request of our customers, helping them create a self-sustaining fund for their sustainability initiatives such as investing in SAF. For example, we worked with pharma and healthcare company Sanofi to embed carbon pricing into their business travel program. As a result, they have since accrued over $600,000 through carbon pricing, allowing more investment into SAF.
How can emissions-based pricing make aviation more sustainable? What are the benefits and challenges?
A commitment to SAF is in itself a more sustainable way forward for aviation - and emissions-based carbon pricing makes this more feasible across the private sector. By embedding the cost of carbon into business travel, companies can procure smarter and set up a funding stream to finance their sustainability investments. This can help make investing in low-carbon technologies like SAF more attainable for any business – regardless of size or sector – in turn, helping unlock the private capital needed to scale these technologies.
Explore the latest edition of Sustainability Magazine and be part of the conversation at our global conference series, Sustainability LIVE.
Discover all our upcoming events and secure your tickets today.
Sustainability Magazine is a BizClik brand