The SABA team was thrilled to bring together companies focused on achieving net zero aviation for an inspiring Climate Week panel.
Member representatives from JetBlue, Meta, Bain, and Okta discussed their efforts to procure high-quality Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) certificates through SABA in order to address their respective companies’ scope 3 or indirect aviation emissions.
Bryan Fischer, Managing Director of RMI moderated the panel, and one thing that became evidently clear through the discussion was SABA’s momentum and the excitement from our members.
Josh Margul, Manager of Sustainability and ESG from JetBlue observed, “I’m looking at the momentum, how many people came to this Climate Week event, and I’m feeling confident in the momentum with SABA.”
Devon Lake, Head of Net Zero Strategy at Meta, noted that there are still many other types of fuel we need to solve for, including maritime fuel and diesel. When asked what’s going to drive the use of low-carbon fuels in other transportation sectors, Lake responded: “The Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance and SAF registry, which paves the way for crediting mechanisms.”
Sam Israelit, Chief Sustainability Officer at Bain, emphasized the convenience and usefulness of the SABA — musing that while Bain can solve any problem, it’s expensive, and reaching out to SABA Leadership with any questions about SAF and getting thorough explanations has been so helpful for his team.
Responding to these sentiments, JetBlue’s Josh Margul said: “When we grow, everyone grows together.”
During closing remarks, Mark Brownstein, Vice President of Energy at Environmental Defense Fund, shared thoughts on the critical mission of SABA and the need to reject false choices: “There is a pressing need to decarbonize how we move goods and people around the planet… It is incredibly important that we only promote Sustainable Aviation Fuels that are truly sustainable. People should not have to choose between food and flying. People should not have to choose between forests and flying.”
Following the panel, our SABA network and guests raised a glass to our shared mission: decarbonizing the aviation sector to address the climate crisis.
