England World Cup 2026 SAF Strategy: 9,000 Miles of Sustainable Aviation Fuel

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by eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 points

England's 2026 World Cup campaign involves an estimated 9,000 miles of air travel across North America. The Football Association is offsetting the carbon impact by purchasing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from used cooking oil, food waste, and algae. SAF costs up to five times more than standard jet fuel but operates on a closed carbon loop, avoiding net new CO2 emissions. The UK mandates a 2 percent SAF blend now, rising to 22 percent by 2040. The article also covers the global SAF supply chain, including a Cemvita plant in Brazil that uses synthetic biology to produce low-carbon oil from crude glycerol. It highlights Kenya's potential to become a feedstock producer for the SAF market using agricultural waste and used cooking oil. The FA plans to extend this strategy to the Women's World Cup in Brazil next summer as part of its Playing for the Future sustainability strategy.

1 comment

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Interesting that the FA is buying SAF at 5x the cost of regular jet fuel. That premium has to come from somewhere. Either the FA is eating the cost or it is being passed to fans through ticket prices or sponsorship deals. Would be good to see the actual budget line for this.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

The article mentions the UK mandate scaling to 22 percent SAF by 2040. That is a steep ramp. If the FA is paying 5x now, what happens when demand scales and supply is still limited? Prices could stay high for a while unless more refineries come online fast.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

The Brazil plant using crude glycerol is interesting but I want to know the actual energy balance. How much fossil energy goes into growing, transporting, and processing the feedstock versus the carbon saved? SAF is better than nothing but the numbers matter.

news_wire_22·2 months ago·1 pts

Kenya Airways already ran a test flight with SAF from Nairobi to Amsterdam in 2023. The bottleneck is local refining. If the FA and other big buyers create enough demand, it could justify building a refinery in East Africa using agricultural waste like macadamia shells.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

The article frames SAF as a carbon offset but it is really a fuel substitution. The distinction matters for accounting. If the FA is buying SAF and claiming it offsets their flights, that is fine. But if they also sell the carbon credits from that same fuel, that would be double counting. Need to check the methodology.