"This certification is an important validation that Brazilian second-crop corn ethanol is a low-carbon feedstock for the production of biofuels on hard to abate sectors , like aviation. Airlines will now be able to count on our ethanol as a competitive and highly scalable source to serve this market globally," explains FS' CEO, Rafael Abud.
Low LUC Risk
Having zero iLUC means that a biofuel (such as Sustainable Aviation Fuel - SAF) was produced in a way that does not generate GHG emissions related to Indirect Land Use Change (iLUC). iLUC refers to indirect changes in land use that can occur when significant areas of land are moved to produce a feedstock for biofuels, such as deforestation or conversion of agricultural land.
ISCC
ISCC is a global sustainability certification system covering sustainable feedstocks including agricultural and forestry biomass, biogenic waste, circular materials and renewable energy for different markets. ISCC CORSIA, a voluntary certification scheme that recognizes the eligibility of sustainable aviation fuel based on criteria established by ICAO, which evaluates various environmental, social and traceability criteria, from biomass to the sustainable production of biofuel.
Certification
FS's ethanol certification process ranged from the agricultural phase and its inputs, through biofuel production to transportation to SAF producers. The part that includes agricultural production was made possible with the participation of one of its suppliers, the Água Santa farm, part of GGF. In this way, in addition to verifying the carbon footprint of fuel since its agricultural phase, it was confirmed that the Indirect Land Use Change of second-crop corn was zero, adding the Low LUC risk attribute to the ISCC CORSIA Certification. This was the first Low LUC risk certification record verified worldwide.
"The certification process is complex. Two years of implementation were necessary, as a number of documentary evidence is required, such as productivity records for more than 10 years and even data on the implementation of improvements in agricultural practices. Scaling a certification like this to hundreds of producers, including small producers, is extremely complex, and requires certification and regulation flexibilization and adjustment for the reality of rural producers," said Daniel Lopes, Vice President of Sustainability and New Business for FS
