Case Study
5 min
Scaling SAF Traceability and EU ETS Compliance at IAG
Scaling SAF Traceability and EU ETS Compliance at IAG
THE CHALLENGE
Scaling SAF Traceability and Compliance
International Airlines Group (IAG) is the parent company of Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, LEVEL, and Vueling. The Group increased its use of SAF by 79% in 2025, compared to 2024.
But a large SAF program comes with large SAF compliance needs. With ReFuelEU Aviation entering into full enforcement, IAG needed to scale from a few hundred SAF certificates to over a thousand across their international supply chain. Worse still, in some jurisdictions, the deadline for EU ETS filings is only two weeks after the deadline for suppliers to send SAF certificates.
IAG partnered with Geofund through the IAGi Accelerator to fully digitize its SAF traceability workflows before the challenge became unmanageable.
SAF programs at any scale share the same pain points:
Documentation: SAF certification requires extensive documentation. Certifications arrive as PDFs with no standard layout, custom branding, and in varying units or numeric formats. Certifications must be issued “per batch” of fuel to ensure adequate traceability.
Validation: Fuel procurement and SAF teams must double-check each batch, looking for both clerical errors and more complex physical issues that may threaten eligibility.
Mass-Balance Accounting: Special accounting rules must demonstrate custody accurately from feedstock to plane.
Audit Readiness: Materials must be collated for independent third-party verification.
Reporting: Year-end filings span complex global jurisdictions, with millions in ETS allowances or other incentives at stake.
THE CHALLENGE
Scaling SAF Traceability and Compliance
International Airlines Group (IAG) is the parent company of Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, LEVEL, and Vueling. The Group increased its use of SAF by 79% in 2025, compared to 2024.
But a large SAF program comes with large SAF compliance needs. With ReFuelEU Aviation entering into full enforcement, IAG needed to scale from a few hundred SAF certificates to over a thousand across their international supply chain. Worse still, in some jurisdictions, the deadline for EU ETS filings is only two weeks after the deadline for suppliers to send SAF certificates.
IAG partnered with Geofund through the IAGi Accelerator to fully digitize its SAF traceability workflows before the challenge became unmanageable.
SAF programs at any scale share the same pain points:
Documentation: SAF certification requires extensive documentation. Certifications arrive as PDFs with no standard layout, custom branding, and in varying units or numeric formats. Certifications must be issued “per batch” of fuel to ensure adequate traceability.
Validation: Fuel procurement and SAF teams must double-check each batch, looking for both clerical errors and more complex physical issues that may threaten eligibility.
Mass-Balance Accounting: Special accounting rules must demonstrate custody accurately from feedstock to plane.
Audit Readiness: Materials must be collated for independent third-party verification.
Reporting: Year-end filings span complex global jurisdictions, with millions in ETS allowances or other incentives at stake.
THE RESULTS
From Backlog to Filed
Within weeks, dedicated accounts for each of IAG’s operating companies was setup and SAF Certificates from IAG’s suppliers began flowing into the product.
Hard-to-find issues that risked eligibility were being flagged automatically, enabling two-way conversations between the airlines and their suppliers to ensure document accuracy.
With supply chain movements consolidated on one platform, IAG’s teams could turn their attention to filing their EU ETS returns. Geofund handled the complexity — generating complete ETS filings, resolving edge cases across jurisdictions, and giving each operating company a clear path from raw documentation to finished submission, significantly faster than with previous submissions.
THE RESULTS
From Backlog to Filed
Within weeks, dedicated accounts for each of IAG’s operating companies was setup and SAF Certificates from IAG’s suppliers began flowing into the product.
Hard-to-find issues that risked eligibility were being flagged automatically, enabling two-way conversations between the airlines and their suppliers to ensure document accuracy.
With supply chain movements consolidated on one platform, IAG’s teams could turn their attention to filing their EU ETS returns. Geofund handled the complexity — generating complete ETS filings, resolving edge cases across jurisdictions, and giving each operating company a clear path from raw documentation to finished submission, significantly faster than with previous submissions.
THE RESULTS
Over a thousand supplier documents handled digitally
Seven EU ETS returns generated and filed across all operating companies
Hundreds of airports covered across IAG’s European supply chain
Significant work-hours saved versus manual processing
Full audit trail enabling independent third-party verification
All filings completed within tight regulatory windows
Looking Forward
Infrastructure in Place, Mandates Growing.
With the 2025 filing season complete, IAG and Geofund are continuing to work together on new use cases and functionality. Some IAG fuel suppliers are now transmitting 2026 documentation fully digitally — the exchange of faster, more reliable, and less burdensome for everyone in the chain.
SAF is scaling, mandates are tightening, CORSIA obligations are expanding, and book-and-claim mechanisms are maturing. With Geofund’s traceability infrastructure in place, IAG is positioned to meet these demands from a position of strength.
Looking Forward
Infrastructure in Place, Mandates Growing.
With the 2025 filing season complete, IAG and Geofund are continuing to work together on new use cases and functionality. Some IAG fuel suppliers are now transmitting 2026 documentation fully digitally — the exchange of faster, more reliable, and less burdensome for everyone in the chain.
SAF is scaling, mandates are tightening, CORSIA obligations are expanding, and book-and-claim mechanisms are maturing. With Geofund’s traceability infrastructure in place, IAG is positioned to meet these demands from a position of strength.
AUTOMATE YOUR SAF TRACEABILITY AND COMPLIANCE
Geofund‘s traceability solution automates supply chain documents, validation, mass balancing, and regulatory filings for fuels and sustainable materials. Contact us to learn more.
AUTOMATE YOUR SAF TRACEABILITY AND COMPLIANCE
Geofund‘s traceability solution automates supply chain documents, validation, mass balancing, and regulatory filings for fuels and sustainable materials. Contact us to learn more.