Latest updates

28 October 2024 - ICAO Council approves amendments to three ICAO documents related to CORSIA eligible fuels, including a new CORSIA approved Sustainability Certification Scheme, and new CORSIA-approved feedstocks

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CORSIA allows aircraft operators to reduce its offsetting requirements through the use of CORSIA eligible fuels, which include CORSIA sustainable aviation fuels and CORSIA lower carbon aviation fuels.

Related Standards are defined in Annex 16, Volume IV sections listed below:

2.2.4 Monitoring of CORSIA eligible fuels claims
2.3.3 Reporting of CORSIA eligible fuels
2.4.3 Verification of CORSIA eligible fuels
3.3 Emissions reductions from the use of CORSIA eligible fuels

These sections include references to 5 ICAO documents that are essential to the implementation of the CORSIA. These ICAO documents are available below, and may only be amended by the ICAO Council.


CORSIA Eligibility Framework and Requirements for Sustainability Certification Schemes Third Edition, March 2024	CORSIA Approved Sustainability Certification Schemes* Third Edition, October 2024	CORSIA Sustainability Criteria for CORSIA Eligible Fuels** Third Edition, November 2022	CORSIA Default Life Cycle Emissions Values for CORSIA Eligible Fuels*** Sixth Edition, October 2024	CORSIA Methodology for Calculating Actual Life Cycle Emissions Values Fifth Edition, October 2024

*Sustainability Certification Schemes interested in being evaluated should follow the application process described here.

**The "Guidance to Sustainability Certification Schemes (SCS) for application of CORSIA Sustainability Criteria, Themes 4 to 8, for CORSIA Sustainable Aviation Fuel produced on or after 1 January 2024" provides guidance to SCSs to support globally uniform application, including potentially applicable parameters.

***The CORSIA Supporting Document “CORSIA Eligible Fuels - Life Cycle Assessment Methodology” provides technical information and describes ICAO processes to manage and maintain the ICAO document “CORSIA Default Life Cycle Emissions Values for CORSIA Eligible Fuels”, including the process to add new default values to this ICAO document.

Template for data submission to ICAO

An Excel template is available for ICAO Member States, Observer Organizations, or approved SCS to request the calculation of a new default core life cycle emission value or a new default ILUC value.

FAQs

The CORSIA FAQs includes a section on CORSIA eligible fuels (see questions 4.11 to 4.21).

Sustainability Certification

CORSIA eligible fuels shall come from fuel producers that are certified by a Sustainability Certification Scheme (SCS) approved by the ICAO Council to perform this certification (more information on this approval process is available here).

Information on fuel batches and economic operators that are certified under CORSIA is provided on the CORSIA certified fuels website.

The following flowcharts illustrate the relation between the various entities involved with the sustainability certification of CORSIA Eligible Fuels (click to enlarge).

Feedstocks

Under the CORSIA framework, a feedstock is defined as "a type of unprocessed raw material used for the production of aviation fuel".

Feedstocks for CORSIA eligible fuel production are broadly categorized into five categories:

Primary and co-products are the main products of a production process. These products have significant economic value and elastic supply, (i.e., there is evidence that there is a causal link between feedstock prices and the quantity of feedstock being produced).
By-products are secondary products with inelastic supply and economic value.
Wastes are materials with inelastic supply and no economic value. A waste is any substance or object which the holder discards or intends or is required to discard. Raw materials or substances that have been intentionally modified or contaminated to meet this definition are not covered by this definition.
Residues are secondary materials with inelastic supply and little economic value.

The feedstocks that are currently recognized in the ICAO CORSIA framework to produce CORSIA SAF are listed in the "SAF feedstocks" website.

Definitions (reference: Annex 16, Volume IV )

CORSIA eligible fuel. A CORSIA sustainable aviation fuel or a CORSIA lower carbon aviation fuel, which an operator may use to reduce their offsetting requirements.

CORSIA lower carbon aviation fuel. A fossil-based aviation fuel that meets the CORSIA Sustainability Criteria under this Volume.

CORSIA sustainable aviation fuel. A renewable or waste-derived aviation fuel that meets the CORSIA Sustainability Criteria under this Volume.