The National Wildlife Federation Highlights Twelve in SAF Brief
- Catalyst
- 47 minutes ago
- 2 min read
In a new issue brief on sustainable aviation fuels, the National Wildlife Federation calls out Twelve as a leading example of e-fuels moving from concept to commercial scale.
When one of America's oldest conservation organizations publishes a technical brief on jet fuel chemistry, it's worth paying attention.
The National Wildlife Federation recently released an issue brief on e-SAF as part of its Sustainable Aviation Fuels series, naming Twelve directly as an example of how the industry is advancing the future of flight. It's a signal that the conversation has moved well beyond airlines and energy companies. Scientists, conservationists, and policymakers are now asking the same question: what does genuinely sustainable jet fuel look like?
Not All SAF Is Equal
Aviation accounts for 2 to 3 percent of global CO2 emissions, and that share is growing. Sustainable aviation fuel is the necessary bridge: a drop-in alternative that works in existing aircraft today, without new engines or new infrastructure. The NWF brief is direct about where bio-based SAF falls short: when feedstock production competes with food crops, drives land conversion, or requires intensive water use, the environmental math doesn't hold.
The bar the NWF sets is clear: truly sustainable aviation fuel must deliver fewer lifecycle emissions than petroleum, minimal freshwater use, and no habitat conversion. The pathway that clears it is e-fuels, produced through power-to-liquid technology.
Jet Fuel Made from Air
Twelve produces E-Jet® SAF at AirPlant™, our e-fuels production facility, using power-to-liquid technology to convert CO2, water, and renewable electricity into jet fuel. It blends with conventional fuel and works in existing aircraft, with no new engines and no new infrastructure required.
E-Jet SAF delivers up to 90% lower lifecycle emissions than conventional jet fuel, uses up to 1,000x less water than biofuels, and requires up to 30x less land. The NWF brief highlights Twelve's CO2 sourcing strategy directly, noting that drawing from ethanol facilities with high-purity, biogenic carbon near low-cost renewable energy could alone enable production of 5 billion gallons of E-Jet SAF per year. AirPlant™ One, the first commercial-scale e-fuels facility of its kind, is opening soon in Moses Lake, Washington.
Who's Already Flying with It
The market is moving. Alaska Airlines and Microsoft have partnered with Twelve to advance E-Jet SAF toward the first commercial demonstration flight in the United States, with Microsoft fueling its business travel on Alaska. International Airlines Group (parent to British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling, and LEVEL) has signed one of the largest long-term SAF supply agreements in the industry, with E-Jet SAF set to power flights across all five carriers.
Corporate buyers are moving too. Twelve was selected as the only power-to-liquid SAF producer in a landmark Sustainable Aviation Fuel Buyers Alliance (SABA) deal, a nearly $200 million, five-year commitment from Scope 3 buyers including Novo Nordisk, BCG, McKinsey & Co., and Autodesk.
Beyond Jet Fuel
The same process that produces E-Jet SAF at AirPlant™ also yields the chemical feedstocks used to manufacture thousands of everyday products, from laundry detergent to running shoes. This is eManufacturing: advanced technology that changes how the world makes things.
Watch: How Twelve Makes E-Jet SAF
Learn more: twelve.co/saf
