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Photo: Clement Goh
How would you describe what you do at Neste?
I support the aviation industry on its journey to net zero.
What do people most misunderstand about what the work you do aims to achieve?
Positively, there is a growing awareness of the aviation sector’s growing contribution to climate change. Still, while the sector’s share of global carbon emissions is just 2 to 3 per cent today, it is set to rise to over 20 per cent by 2050 due to continuing aviation market growth and more decisive action towards decarbonisation in other sectors of the economy.
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Aviation’s total climate impact is already three times larger than that caused by carbon emissions due to different aircraft emissions, such as nitrogen oxides and contrails in high altitudes.
For an individual passenger, a single intercontinental flight might exceed an entire year’s estimated sustainable carbon emissions.
However, many people still do not know that the solutions to tackle this challenge, such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), are already available for use and scale-up. Also, solutions are available for an individual passenger or a corporation to pay extra for their flights to fund the use of SAF to substitute fossil kerosine and reduce their flying emissions.
What would success look like to you today?
The SAF industry is in its infancy, with a collective aim in the aviation sector, including Neste, to boost SAF usage and spur investment in its production. Making this change happen must start with passengers taking responsibility for their emissions.
Photo: Clement Goh
If people are ready to change and accept that there is a cost involved in flying more sustainably, governments will develop enabling policies for the use of SAF, allowing the energy sector to invest in the production capacity for it.
Success hinges on customer perception. At Neste, we aim to be viewed as allies in tackling energy transition challenges. Recognising the importance of sustainable growth, many regional airlines and the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines aim for 5 per cent SAF usage by 2030.
Amidst market competition, my role focuses on aiding our clients’ transition, notably through Neste’s new Neste Impact programme, which supports businesses in financing SAF to mitigate Scope 3 emissions, thereby supplying cost-effective SAF to airlines.
For an individual passenger, a single intercontinental flight might exceed an entire year’s estimated sustainable carbon emissions. – AMI JAUHIAINEN, VICE PRESIDENT AT NESTE, SUGGESTS THAT EMBRACING SUSTAINABLE FLYING COSTS WILL PROMPT GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR SUSTAINABLE AVIATION FUEL.
Additionally, success involves nurturing our team at Neste, where many join believing in our vision and ethos. We prioritise creating an inclusive environment where individuals feel valued, can receive constructive feedback, and can pursue career growth.
What worries you the most about the state of ESG in Singapore today?
Singapore is undeniably a frontrunner in the Asia Pacific for driving a credible climate agenda with tangible action. The Singapore Green Plan 2030 and the recently published Singapore Air Hub Blueprint are concrete examples. One important initiative from the blueprint is the national SAF target of 1 per cent in 2026, which the blueprint intends to increase to 3 to 5 per cent by 2030.
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Still, more urgency is required in Singapore. The world is not on the right track towards limiting global warming anywhere close to +1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels. Singapore is also lagging behind Europe and North America in using SAF and biofuels, and the regulatory frameworks to support their use still need to be implemented.
And what gives you hope?
Governments are rising to the challenge of setting binding emission reduction targets and creating policies to enable their fulfilment, and gradually, international collaboration is also producing some concrete outcomes. One example is the ICAO goal of achieving 5 per cent emission reductions from international aviation by 2030 using SAF and other clean energies, set in November 2023.
The momentum is positive, and the right steps are being taken. Awareness of climate change and the solutions available to tackle it has grown in Asia Pacific and worldwide.
Businesses, such as airlines, are recognising that they need to take action on their climate emissions to meet their customers’ expectations, and it is gradually becoming recognised that sustainability will eventually become a requirement for a social license to operate.
