CADO, 123Carbon, and Assure SAF Registry Join Forces to Tackle SAF Integrity Gaps

The sustainable aviation fuel market just got a much-needed trust upgrade. The Civil Aviation Decarbonization Organization (CADO), 123Carbon, and the Assure SAF Registry have agreed to collaborate on building interoperability between their respective SAF registries, with a shared goal of eliminating double counting and strengthening the credibility of SAF emissions reduction claims worldwide.

The collaboration centers on exchanging verified SAF attribute integrity information across all three platforms. This is a critical step for the broader adoption of SAF, where fragmented tracking systems have long posed a challenge for airlines, fuel producers, and corporate buyers trying to make defensible environmental claims.

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Why Interoperability Matters Now

The SAF market has grown rapidly, but its registry landscape remains fractured. Different platforms serve different sectors and stakeholder groups, creating gaps where the same SAF batch could potentially be claimed more than once. This collaboration directly targets that vulnerability.

The three registries bring complementary strengths to the table. CADO operates the SAF Registry originally developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which launched in March 2025 and serves commercial aviation. 123Carbon, a Netherlands-based multimodal registry with over 150 users, covers environmental attribute certificates across air, sea, road, and rail. The Assure SAF Registry, powered by 4AIR, is a blockchain-based platform built specifically for business aviation.

A Pilot Built on Shared Standards

The partnership will be tested through a pilot project running through the first half of 2026. The pilot focuses on aligning key data requirements, shared terminology, and standardized interfaces so the three systems can exchange and reconcile SAF attribute information securely and confidentially.

Michael Schneider, CADO Executive Director, framed the urgency clearly: "The prevailing fragmentation and bespoke nature of the SAF market are preventing rapid deployment and slowing airlines' decarbonisation. Through this collaboration and pilot, the CADO SAF Registry and partners are putting in place the shared checks and standards needed to eliminate any risk of double counting and to maintain a single, trusted record of SAF emissions reduction claims."

Jeroen van Heiningen, Managing Director of 123Carbon, emphasized the market's expectation for cooperation: "Since every registry has its own stakeholder group, the market expects us to collaborate. This means that deeper levels of interoperability are needed to support the market, by allowing transfers of certificates between registries."

Building Trust Across the SAF Value Chain

Jessica Masters, SAF Director at 4AIR, highlighted the integrity angle: "This interoperability pilot puts shared safeguards in place to substantiate SAF attributes across registries, identify duplication risks early, and preserve the credibility of SAF claims as the market expands and evolves."

What This Means for the Industry

If the pilot succeeds, it could set a template for how SAF registries worldwide coordinate on data integrity. With both voluntary and regulatory SAF frameworks ramping up, including CORSIA and the EU's ReFuelEU mandates, a unified approach to tracking and verifying SAF claims is no longer optional. It's a prerequisite for the market to scale with confidence.

About CADO

The Civil Aviation Decarbonization Organization was established in March 2025 to maintain and operate the IATA-developed SAF Registry. The registry provides a global system to record SAF transactions in a standardized and transparent way, enabling airlines and corporate customers to track and claim environmental benefits against regulatory obligations and voluntary schemes.