Amazon Air, the air cargo arm of Amazon.com Inc., has become the first company to use sustainable aviation fuel at Ontario International Airport in California through a new agreement with Finnish refiner Neste, the companies said on Tuesday.

Under the deal, Amazon will purchase 7,500 metric tons of Neste MY SAF for use at both Ontario and San Francisco International airports through the end of 2025.

The move is part of Amazon’s strategy to decarbonize its global logistics network and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.

Expansion of SAF Use

Amazon began receiving Neste’s SAF earlier this year at the two California hubs. The partnership builds on a previous collaboration that started in 2021, when Amazon Air first used Neste’s fuel at Cologne Bonn Airport in Germany.

“At Amazon, we are committed to reaching net-zero carbon by 2040, and SAF is one of the most promising ways to reduce aviation emissions,” the company said in a statement.

Neste’s fuel is blended with conventional jet fuel and delivered via established infrastructure at San Francisco airport.

In Ontario, where pipeline access is not available, the SAF is trucked in from Los Angeles by Diesel Direct, a Neste partner that uses renewable diesel to further reduce transport-related emissions.

Cleaner Fuel, Same Performance

Neste’s SAF is produced from 100 percent renewable waste and residue materials, such as used cooking oil and animal fat waste.

Certified for commercial use, it can be blended up to 50 percent with fossil jet fuel and used without modifications to existing aircraft engines or fueling systems.

According to Neste, using its SAF can reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80 percent compared to conventional jet fuel.

Scaling Up Production

Neste currently has an annual global SAF production capacity of 1.5 million tons, which it aims to increase to 2.2 million tons by 2027.

“This milestone shows how partnerships across industries can drive down emissions in hard-to-abate sectors like aviation,” said Carl Nyberg, Neste’s senior vice president for commercial renewable products.

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