No single organization can decarbonize air freight alone. That message ran through this episode of Smart Freight Conversations: The Catalyst Series.
Andy Golding, Director of Strategic Services at Smart Freight Centre, spoke with
Joerg Huebeler, Head of Global Accounts, Renewable Fuels and Solutions at
Neste, and
Tarja Koski, Senior Sustainability Manager at
Finnair, about how a fuel producer and an airline are working together to scale sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) across the air cargo and passenger network.
The conversation covered why the two companies partner, what progress looks like in practice, and why education remains central to moving SAF from a niche solution to an industry standard.
This conversation provides practical insights into how sustainable aviation is evolving from pilot projects into scalable commercial strategies, offering valuable lessons for shippers, freight forwarders, investors, and sustainability leaders alike.
Listen to the full episode and enroll in the courses below to learn more.
For Finnair, cutting emissions starts with operational efficiency. The airline focuses on reducing aircraft weight through fleet modernization and lighter cargo handling materials, since fuel burn is both an emissions source and a cost.
Once efficiency gains are captured, the remaining fuel demand is where renewables come in. This is where the Neste and Finnair partnership, which has focused on SAF for more than five years, plays its role.
Neste has produced renewable aviation fuel since 2011 and is expanding production capacity, including a new refinery in Rotterdam that will become one of the largest renewable fuel production sites in the world once operational.
Huebeler noted that renewable fuels can reduce the carbon footprint of aviation fuel use by up to 80 percent, but production costs remain higher than fossil fuel due to feedstock collection. Closing that cost gap across the value chain, from producer to airline to shipper, is a shared challenge the two companies are working through together.
Air cargo has a practical advantage over passenger travel when it comes to absorbing the additional cost of SAF. Because the cost can be allocated to the product being transported, companies procuring air cargo can apply the resulting emissions reduction toward their Scope 3 targets with a transparent, trackable environmental attribute.
Finnair's SAF use has doubled every year since 2023, though it still represents 1.6 percent of the airline's total fuel burn in 2025. Both speakers were clear that this is a long-term effort rather than a quick fix.
A recurring theme was the "curse of knowledge" that can develop inside the sustainability field. Concepts that feel obvious to specialists are often unfamiliar to colleagues, customers, and the wider public.
Koski described working closely with Finnair's own sales teams to explain SAF in plain terms, without requiring a deep dive into accounting registries or calculation methods. Huebeler added that every organization in the value chain has a different audience to educate, and that consistent, clear communication is what builds the trust needed for wider adoption.
What comes next?
Looking ahead, both speakers pointed to regulation and standardization as the developments most likely to accelerate SAF adoption. Clearer rules and consistent methodologies would help more companies commit to renewable fuel use with confidence, building on the early progress already made by companies willing to lead.
Listen to the full episode of Smart Freight Conversations to hear more from Joerg Huebeler and Tarja Koski on how airlines and fuel producers are collaborating to decarbonize aviation. Explore SFC Academy's aviation program courses to build your own understanding of SAF accounting and emissions reduction in practice.
