How EU RED is driving real sustainability in aviation and shifting the industry from claims to action.

Imagine stepping into a plane that runs on recycled emissions, renewable electricity and water. That’s not a distant dream, but a direction aviation is moving in. Starting in 2030, the ReFuelEU Aviation regulation requires that a share of all jet fuel used at EU airports must be synthetic, electricity-based sustainable aviation fuel called eSAF.  

To ensure this fuel truly cuts emissions, the EU RED sets clear rules for how eSAF must be produced. These include strict control of supply chains, transparent tracking of sustainable materials, verified life-cycle emissions calculations, and a requirement that eSAF cuts emissions by at least 70 per cent compared to fossil-based jet fuel. In practice, this means eSAF producers must be certified before they can sell fuel in the EU. 

Certified from source to sky

EU RED certification rests on three key requirements: sourcing sustainable inputs from approved suppliers, tracking material flows accurately through mass-balance, and verifying emissions across the full lifecycle.  

Supply chain requirements

Every sustainable input used to produce eSAF, like captured biogenic CO₂ and green hydrogen, must come from EU RED-certified suppliers. Electricity providers don’t need certification themselves, but the electricity used must be genuinely renewable and, in many cases, meet strict criteria like being newly built, produced at the same time the fuel is made, and generated in the same region. These checks prevent eSAF production from competing with other sectors for renewable power. 

Mass-balance tracking

In simple terms, the mass balance approach means that what goes in and what comes out during the production process is strictly accounted for. Producers must be able to show, with meters and records, that the amount of sustainable input matches the amount of sustainable fuel produced. This avoids situations where more “green” fuel is claimed than what is actually created. 

Life-cycle emissions

To ensure real climate benefit, emissions are calculated across the whole journey from raw materials to fuel production, transport and final use. EU RED requires that eSAF cuts emissions by at least 70 per cent compared to fossil jet fuel, based on a standard EU formula. 

Liquid Sun's path to certification

We have taken our first major step by becoming a member of the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) Association, one of the EU-approved schemes for demonstrating compliance with the EU RED. ISCC is widely trusted in the aviation and renewable energy sectors, making it a strong fit for our mission. 

EU RED sets a high bar, and meeting it can be challenging, especially for emerging companies. But by joining ISCC early, we can build compliance into our processes from day one rather than retrofitting later. It gives us time to understand requirements, create the right systems and prepare for rigorous audits. 

Because certification applies at the facility level, we are designing our first production sites with EU RED standards integrated from the ground up. As ISCC Association Members, we also gain access to expert guidance and resources, supporting our goal to produce EU-certified eSAF in Finland and contribute to cleaner global aviation.