Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is moving up the agenda for travel programs. As pressure builds to reduce business travel emissions and show credible progress, travel teams are being asked to help shape a practical response. This is because aviation remains one of the hardest parts of a travel program to decarbonize, and SAF is one of the few in-sector levers available today.
What makes now the right time to act is readiness. Market momentum is building, internal expectations are rising and organizations have a clearer view of the governance, evidence and language needed to approach SAF responsibly. For travel teams, the priority is less about moving fast and more about building a credible foundation.
Why SAF is moving up the travel agenda
SAF is gaining attention because the wider business travel landscape is changing. According to GBTA, 20% of travel programs in its SAF-buyer research were purchasing SAF certificates in 2025, up 30% from the previous year. That is still early adoption, but it points to growing corporate interest in supporting SAF through book-and-claim mechanisms even as cost, accounting uncertainty and internal readiness continue to slow wider uptake.
That urgency is reinforced by the aviation sector itself. IATA estimates that SAF has to contribute around 65% of the emissions reduction’s aviation needs to reach net zero by 2050, while also warning that supply must scale significantly to meet demand.
In other words, SAF is now widely recognized as a critical decarbonization lever, even as availability and affordability constraints remain.
Why now is a good time to start the conversation
The case for acting now is based on readiness, but also on uncertainty. Internal stakeholders are paying closer attention to business travel emissions while reporting expectations continue to evolve. At the same time, future developments in SBTi and emerging EU work on book-and-claim could materially shape how SAF is recognized against 2030 goals, especially for companies relying on business travel.
Corporate decisions are also being made against a backdrop of shifting political signals in some markets. While the market remains dynamic, some buyers see current SAF certificate pricing as stable enough to make evaluation and early planning more practical. That makes this a smart moment to build understanding, not wait for every standard to settle. BCD positions SAF as a practical lever within a broader, governed sustainability approach, supported by transparency across certificates, registries and retirements.
There is also a practical reason not to wait. Organizations that begin exploring SAF now have time to align internal teams, build understanding and define what credible participation looks like before expectations become harder to manage.
Implementing SAF is not just a fuel decision
Implementing SAF is rarely just a fuel decision. In many corporate travel programs, the first step is not physically buying fuel but purchasing SAF certificates through book-and-claim to support market scale-up and address travel emissions. That immediately brings in questions beyond supply: how the mechanism works, what can be counted, who owns budget, how claims are framed, and how travel, sustainability, procurement, finance and communications align around it.
That wider context matters. Corporate decisions on SAF are now being made against a backdrop of tighter scrutiny, shifting political signals in some markets, and unresolved questions about how book-and-claim should be treated in target-setting and reporting frameworks. This is exactly why now is the right time to engage: organizations that build internal understanding early will be in a stronger position to act credibly as standards evolve.
What travel teams should focus on first
A good starting point is achieving internal clarity. Before introducing SAF into a travel program, organizations are usually better served by defining a few fundamentals:
- Why the organization wants to engage with SAF now
- What role SAF should play within the wider travel and sustainability strategy
- Which stakeholders need to be aligned before moving forward
- What level of evidence, documentation and assurance would be expected
- How SAF activity could connect to reporting considerations and internal governance
- What language is accurate, proportionate and defensible at each stage
This measured approach reflects the principles in the BCD SAF starter pack, which emphasizes internal alignment, credibility checks and careful language before any claims are made. In practice, that means treating SAF as part of a considered program.
Why credibility matters as much as participation
As SAF gains visibility, the risk is not only moving too slowly but also communicating too quickly. For travel teams and stakeholders alike, credible SAF communication should state clearly what has been done and avoid overstating impact.
That discipline matters even more in a market where supply and cost remain challenging. ResourceWise identifies feedstock availability as a structural constraint on SAF scale-up in 2026, reinforcing the case for thoughtful, well-governed engagement rather than rushed positioning.
SAF works best as part of a broader strategy
For most organizations, the most credible approach is to position SAF within a wider travel sustainability strategy. A sequence that focuses on a progression from measuring emissions to informing decisions, influencing behavior and then contributing to in-sector decarbonization through mechanisms such as SAF helps keep expectations realistic and shows how SAF complements broader action.
The opportunity now is to build readiness
For travel teams, now is a good time to implement SAF not because the market is fully mature, but because the conditions for serious consideration are in place. SAF is becoming more central to aviation decarbonization, corporate demand is growing and expectations around credible climate action are getting sharper. The organizations best placed to move forward will be those that use this moment to align stakeholders, strengthen governance and define an approach they can stand behind over time.
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