The sustainable aviation fuel industry would have to increase by 1,600 times its current size to meet the aviation sector’s 2050 net zero carbon emissions target, according to one UK-based SAF producer.

James Hygate, founder and CEO of Firefly, which makes SAF from sewage, claimed that for the industry to meet its long-term sustainability goals, “the industry has to grow 1,600 times, so fairly big growth in this industry [is needed]”.

Hygate, who has worked in the environmental sector for more than 20 years, is calling for greater funding for the UK SAF industry by encouraging investment into ‘first-of-a-kind’ facilities, which he hopes will be the pilot for commercial sustainable fuel production.