Climate warning

Sustainable aviation fuel supply chains under scrutiny after palm oil fraud investigation in Indonesia

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Sarah Chabane

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Neste

Climate warning
Recent reporting on a palm oil fraud investigation in Indonesia raises important questions about transparency in the growing market for the highly relevant topic of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). An investigation by AFP and SourceMaterial - a great resource btw, I recommend you to explore their work - found that Indonesian companies implicated in a probe over mislabelled palm oil products supplied European energy firms, including oil giants Italian Eni and Finnish Neste. Authorities allege that palm oil was falsely labelled as palm oil mill effluent (POME), a waste byproduct often used as a feedstock for biofuels. That's some impactful SAF if you ask me. But not in the right way. There is no indication that the European companies were aware of or involved in the alleged fraud, but the case shows the challenges of verifying complex international supply chains and calls for increased transparency.
SAFs have been increasingly considered as a pathway to reduce emissions from aviation, particularly when derived from genuine waste and residue materials. However, the controversy highlights how difficult it can be to ensure that feedstocks meet sustainability criteria. Palm oil has been associated with deforestation concerns, which is why the EU has decided to phase out palm oil-based biofuels by 2030. When products are potentially mislabelled as waste, it risks undermining confidence in sustainability certification systems.

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The issue also reflects broader issues in the global energy transition. Many of the resources used in new energy supply chains come from the Global South, while demand and regulations are driven mainly by companies and markets in the Global North.
Greater transparency from companies and regulators will be essential to ensure that the energy transition we need is fair and credible. Clearer data on feedstock origins, volumes, and verification processes would help strengthen SAF's credibility and ensure that what are presented as climate solutions deliver real environmental benefits while not harming communities and ecosystems.
https://www.source-material.org/indonesian-exporters-palm-oil-pome-fraud-supplied-european-fuel-companies/

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260316-indonesia-firms-in-palm-oil-fraud-probe-supplied-fuel-majors



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