We are pleased to announce that our end-year report, the impact “Year in Review 2025” has been released now.
This edition will update you on the latest topics and trends in aviation sustainability. Prepare for an insightful read as the Report will feature interviews with high-level industry experts, articles by distinguished guest authors and the latest news on impact’s activities.
Read the publication here.
We finally launched the Practitioner’s Guide 1.0 for “The Milestone Concept” – a simple, progress-based framework – scientifically vetted – to make decarbonization visible, credible, and useful for strategy and finance.
Developed by impact the scientifically vetted Milestone Concept cuts through reporting complexity by focusing on what’s actually happening now, not distant, assumption-heavy targets.
HOW IT WORKS
Whether through fleet renewal, SAF uptake, or other levers, this approach turns operational steps into clear, decision-useful metrics – without recalibrating long-term pathways every year.
The guide is live now and will evolve as the industry does, incorporating new themes like non-CO₂ effects and removals.
Explore the Guide here.
Building Regional Partnerships to Unlock the Full Potential of Alcohol-to-Jet SAF – Insights from LanzaJet ✈️
We were delighted to sit down with Daniel Bloch, Director of Strategic Partnerships at LanzaJet, to discuss how Alcohol-to-Jet (AtJ) sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) can accelerate aviation’s decarbonization – and why regional partnerships are essential to unlock its full impact.
AtJ unlocks global potential: Ethanol can be sourced from a wide range of sustainable, non-oil-based, biogenic, and waste carbon streams – allowing regions worldwide to build their own advanced SAF ecosystems. Beyond emissions reduction, AtJ projects can deliver real regional economic value, strengthen agricultural systems, and even monetize ecosystem services.
Daniel stressed the necessity of “hyper-regionalizing” SAF ecosystems. This means building local SAF production and supply chains through close, strategic collaboration among farmers, policymakers, financiers, airlines, and technology providers. At the same time, he also highlighted the opportunities for the SAF market ramp-up through innovative book and claim systems.
To keep momentum and bring advanced SAF to scale, we need:
👏 A huge thank you to Daniel for an inspiring deep dive into the future of advanced SAF.
Would you like to read the full article of this interview? Stay tuned – our “Year in Review 2025” report arrives in January 2026, full of insights shaping aviation’s sustainability transition.
Developed collaboratively across impact’s workstreams and refined with insights from experts spanning airlines, lessors, financiers, and policy organizations, the Guide translaDeveloped collaboratively across impact’s workstreams and refined with insights from experts spanning airlines, lessors, financiers, and policy organizations, the Guide translates the Milestone Concept into practical, user-oriented guidance for applying measurable sustainability milestones in aviation finance and investment decisions. It aims to empower decision-makers across the aviation finance ecosystem to translate ambition into measurable progress toward net zero.
Unlike long-term, assumption-based targets and roadmaps that are frequently revised, the Milestone Concept focuses on measuring real, granular progress — tracking how airlines and portfolio financiers are moving toward decarbonization in practice, year by year. By basing assessments on observable data rather than distant projections, it helps reduce uncertainty, increase comparability, and strengthen accountability across the aviation finance value chain.
The Concept’s simplicity is one of its strengths. It relies on just three essential KPIs to evaluate decarbonization progress:
This final review phase invites diverse industry voices to ensure the Guide is not only analytically sound but also relevant, user-friendly, and impactful in real-world applications.
The review process will conclude in mid-November, with publication targeted for early December 2025. The Practitioners’ Guide will mark an important step in supporting transparent, comparable, and action-oriented approaches to assessing aviation’s decarbonization progress.
Watch the ISTAT Learning Lab session on “Sustainable Finance Fundamentals: Driving Aviation Toward Net Zero” with Jean Chedeville (Natixis) and Prof. Tom Conlon (University College Dublin) to learn more about our Milestone Concept: Sustainable Finance Fundamentals: Driving Aviation Toward Net Zero
We’re thrilled to announce the expansion of impact’s Advisory Board — strengthening our mission to accelerate aviation’s transition to net zero.
Joining the Advisory Board are three distinguished experts:
Their combined expertise in aviation, finance, strategy and sustainability will be instrumental in guiding impact’s evidence-based approach to decarbonizing flight.
“We are very pleased to welcome Philipp Goedeking, Christoffer Lythcke-Elberling and Yasunori Takeuchi. Their expertise will significantly enhance IMPACT’s ability to engage stakeholders and drive aviation’s sustainable transition.”
— Ulrike Ziegler, Chairperson of IMPACT
Together with our 35+ members worldwide, we’re committed to enabling collaboration, supporting the finance community, and helping aviation take tangible steps toward sustainable flight.
Read the full press release here.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is often described as “too expensive.” But what really drives this perception? In our upcoming webinar, The Cost of Compliance, we will unpack the true cost elements behind SAF and explore how greater clarity can shape investor confidence, airline appetite, and financing conditions.
Moderated by Andrew Doyle (Cirium), the expert round will feature a dynamic exchange of views from across the aviation value chain. Speakers include Dana Shoukroun (Invest Through Flying), Nikhil Sachdeva (Roland Berger), Dorottya Durucsko (Wizz Air), and Gregoire Le Comte (European Commission, DG MOVE).
Topics include:
Join us for a deep dive into the economics of SAF and what they mean for airlines, suppliers, and financiers navigating the path to compliance.
To request the recording please contact ziegler@impact-on-sustainable-aviation.org.
For this exclusive session, impact on sustainable aviation brings together leaders in Japan’s aviation finance, leasing, and asset management sectors to explore:
🔎 The complexity of aviation’s sustainability transition — and why it demands new approaches
🌐 Global developments and market opportunities
💰 Sustainability-linked lending and leasing
📝 Updates on impact’s initiatives, including the IMPACT Forum and the Practitioner’s Guide
Building on last year’s dialogue, we look forward to deepening the exchange and strengthen cooperation across regions and stakeholders — an essential step in shaping aviation’s sustainable future.
Please note that participation is by invitation only. If you are interested in joining, please reach out — we will be glad to consider offering a space, subject to availability.
本セッションでは、日本の航空ファイナンス、リース、アセットマネジメント分野のリーダーが集まり、以下のテーマについて議論をします：
🔎 航空業界におけるサステナビリティ移行の複雑性 ― 新たなアプローチが必要
🌐 世界動向と市場機会
💰 サステナビリティ・リンク・ローンやリース
📝 IMPACTフォーラムや「プラクティショナーガイド」などの、impactの最新イニシアチブの紹介
昨年の対話を基盤に、地域やステークホルダーを超えた交流をさらに深め、協力を強化できることを楽しみにしています。また、航空の持続可能な未来を形づくるための大事なステップだと確信しております。
本イベントは招待制です。ご参加にご関心のある方はぜひご連絡ください。空席状況に応じてご案内を検討させていただきます。
On September 10, 2025 at 3:00 PM CET, impact on sustainable aviation e.V. will host a webinar exploring “Infinium’s Project Roadrunner: The Road to Securing FID”.
Bringing together the perspectives of producer, off-taker, investor and lender, the session will offer a rare, 360-degree look at how one of the most high-profile eSAF projects progressed from early-stage concept to a bankable reality. Alastair Blanshard (ICF) will moderate the discussion featuring Ayesha Choudhury (Infinium), Rohan D’Sa (HSBC), Aaron Robinson (International Airlines Group) and James Diaz-Sokoloff (AP Ventures).
We will explore how bankability was embedded in the project from the outset, how key risks were identified and mitigated, the role of U.S. policy incentives such as 45Z, and the other enablers that strengthened the investment case. The conversation will also examine how airlines are adapting procurement strategies to long-term SAF commitments, and whether similar projects can be replicated in Europe, Australia, and Japan.
Join us and register now: https://msteams.link/WJ39
✈️🌍 Scaling e-SAF in Europe: Policy, Offtakes, and the Road to FID
We had the pleasure of sitting down with Amy Hebert, CEO of Copenhagen-based Arcadia eFuels, to discuss the company’s progress — and the hurdles — in scaling up its e‑SAF production plant in Denmark.
Arcadia eFuels is working to bring large-scale e-SAF to market as an active member of Project SkyPower, aiming for a Final Investment Decision (FID) by the end of 2025 and operations by 2030.
But the challenges are clear:
🔹 Bankable long-term offtakes remain elusive — the voluntary SAF market, while “nice,” isn’t enough to finance major projects.
🔹 The upcoming EU Sustainable Transport Investment Plan (STIP) could be a game‑changer, with price support for e‑SAF and measures to de‑risk investment.
🔹 Early‑stage funding and competitive green hydrogen incentives are critical — yet Europe lags behind the U.S. and UK in hydrogen support.
🔹 The EU is holding firm on its ReFuelEU mandates — a strong signal that e‑SAF will be part of aviation’s decarbonization pathway.
💬 As Amy Hebert puts it: “If we had a long-term offtake agreement in hand, we could be at FID pretty immediately after that.”
📽️👇 Watch the interview with Amy Hebert and read the full article by Eduardo Mariz Cortiñas, Senior Analyst and Sustainability Lead at Ishka: Aviation Finance, in our Insights 2025 report to learn why Europe’s path to large‑scale e‑SAF is technically feasible — but politically complex.
📄 Download impact’s “Insights 2025” report here.
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