American Airlines and Google announced a new agreement for the purchase of sustainable aviation fuel certificates (SAFc) representing 35 million gallons (132 million liters) of SAF over three years.

The deal marks the largest announced SAF agreement to date between an airline and a corporate end-user, according to the companies, and will enable the reduction of nearly 300,000 metric tons of CO2e.

Fuel accounts for the vast majority of the aviation sector’s emissions. Generally produced from sustainable resources, like waste oils and agricultural residues, SAF is seen as one of the key tools to help decarbonize the aviation industry in the near- to medium-term. SAF producers estimate the fuels can result in lifecycle GHG emissions reductions of as much as 80% relative to conventional fuels.

Under the new agreement, American Airlines will purchase and take delivery of physical fuel at Chicago O’Hare International Airport through existing infrastructure, with the SAF produced from waste feedstocks like used cooking oil. Google will receive the environmental benefits to help address its emissions from employee business travel via the SAFc Registry, a book-and-claim system designed to provide transparent and traceable accounting of SAF-related emissions reductions. The agreement enabled American Airlines to secure a new long-term SAF offtake agreement with Valero Marketing and Supply, the companies said.

Kate Brandt, Chief Sustainability Officer at Google, said:

“This strategic collaboration with American Airlines demonstrates how companies can work together to scale critical sustainability technologies. By entering into this long-term commitment, we are sending a vital demand signal to catalyze investment and bring more SAF to market.”

American Airlines has set a goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The company has identified sustainable aviation fuel as one of the levers with the highest potential impact towards reaching its emissions reduction goal, but also as the lever with one of the lowest degrees of certainty in terms of its ability to scale sufficiently to meet the target’s requirement.

Jill Blickstein, Chief Sustainability Officer at American Airlines, said:

“Our industry-leading agreement with Google is a critical step forward in reducing emissions from our operations. By working with leaders like Google who share our commitment to innovation, we’re helping to grow demand for SAF and support the development of a stronger, more resilient market.”