Inside the World’s First Plastic Waste to SAF Pilot Facility

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is an eligible option for aircraft operators to meet carbon offsetting and reduction requirements.

For this reason, the UK is introducing the World’s First Waste Plastics to Sustainable Aviation Fuel Pilot Facility.

The company behind this is Clean Planet Technologies (CPTech), part of the Clean Planet Group.

The facility is supported by the UK SAF Clearing House, funded by the UK’s Department for Transport.

From plastic to sustainable fuel

According to CPTech, more than 80% of the world’s plastic is never recycled, billions of tonnes are instead lost to the environment.

“Every day, 100,000 commercial flights depart, relying more on new fossil fuels,” says the company.

The facility opened in April 2026, demonstrating CPTech’s plastics-to-SAF process at pilot scale.

According to CPTech, waste plastics can be transformed into ultra-clean, low-carbon aviation fuel using existing aircraft and fuel infrastructure.

The company says the process at scale supports fuel testing, validation and progression through the UK SAF Clearing House and ASTM qualification pathway.

The pilot facility is said to represent a critical step towards scaling circular, non-bio feedstocks and support the UK’s goals for both sustainable aviation and reaching net zero.

“The UK SAF Clearing House is delighted to support Clean Planet Technologies as they move through the critical stages of fuel qualification,” says Matthew Jee, Director of the UK SAF Clearing House, part of the Department for Transport. 

“The testing we facilitate provides the robust evidence base that producers and industry need to build confidence, unlock investment and accelerate the deployment of new fuels. 

“These awards underline the UK SAF Clearing House’s commitment to working closely with innovators to scale sustainable aviation fuel production and to deliver meaningful progress towards a more sustainable aviation sector in the UK.” 

Inside the plastic-to-SAF process

CPTech’s SAFe Hydroprocessing Technology is a pioneering, patented solution designed to address one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time: plastic waste pollution. 

With millions of tons of plastic entering marine environments each year and conventional recycling methods unable to efficiently process mixed or contaminated plastics, innovative approaches are urgently needed. 

CPTech’s process focuses on upgrading unprocessed pyrolysis oil derived from mixed plastic waste into ultra-clean, ultra-low sulfur, high-quality circular fuels. 

Through advanced hydroprocessing, the technology stabilises and refines raw pyrolysis oil by addressing key chemical and physical challenges such as high oxygen content, reactive unsaturated compounds, contaminants and wax formation.

Key benefits of the SAFe Hydroprocessing Technology include:

• Significantly improves fuel product’s lubricating, wax and pour properties, making it easier to transport and store
• Reduces oxygen content, improving stability and enabling safer, more reliable storage
• Removes metals and other contaminants to meet international specifications for transport fuels
• Reduces transport industry reliance on raw fossil fuels while supporting the circular economy through the production of circular naphtha
• All products derived from SAFe technology achieve a minimum of 70% CO₂ emission reduction following ISCC+ certification
• Achieves considerably higher market value of the oil compared with raw or unprocessed pyrolysis oils.

Overall, the result is a premium-grade circular fuel with a significantly reduced carbon footprint, suitable as a direct substitute for fossil-based fuels in both the transport and petrochemical industries, helping to close the loop on plastic waste while supporting a lower-carbon energy future.