2024-04-18 15:16:40
Bolder brings together industry giants to launch innovation cluster in the sustainable aviation fuel market
Bolder, a corporate innovation company focused on complex and strategic problems, announces the launch of the largest innovation program in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in Brazil and already has several of the main names in the value chain for the project. The company identified a large gap in the SAF segment, which already receives great incentives in markets such as the USA and Europe, but which is at a very early stage in Brazil, a region that could be the main supplier of the fuel to the world.
With an incentive to sustainability, a corporate innovation company has just created a cluster focused on building solutions for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)
Working in large innovation projects, mainly in energy, Bolder has mapped numerous initiatives by corporations that operate in the SAF ecosystem, but that, in isolation, would not be able to create solutions for these resolutions. The program brings together sector protagonists such as Suzano, a global reference in the manufacture of bioproducts developed from eucalyptus cultivation, Galp, a group of Portuguese companies in the energy sector, and Vibra, the largest fuel distributor in Brazil.
For Hector Gusmão, CEO and co-founder of Bolder, there is demand and a lot of opportunity for the Brazilian market in this sector. “Brazil has the potential to become the main SAF supplier country in the world. This is because we have strong expertise in renewable fuels, such as ethanol, in addition to having a lot of biomass and natural resources available to build this type of fuel,” he explains.
Suzano will use its eucalyptus expertise to enable Sustainable Aviation Fuel
According to Miguel Sieh, Director of New Business at Suzano, the program is fully connected with the company’s strategy. “Open SAF is aligned with our motivation to develop innovative solutions to advance the global Bioeconomy by offering a raw material of renewable origin, planted eucalyptus cellulose. We believe that the open innovation approach and collaboration between large companies in the sector will be a catalyst for new offers for the emerging market of Sustainable Aviation Fuels”, says the executive.
Galp believes that this type of initiative contributes to the future of the segment. “Sustainable Aviation Fuels are a fundamental element of Galp’s decarbonization strategy. The future of aviation will depend on the ability, in the coming decades, to produce zero or low carbon fuels. A program like this will allow us to look for technologies that help us significantly increase the production of these fuels”, comments Ana Casaca, Global Head of Innovation at Galp.
For Vibra, the union of big names in the value chain is the way to find the necessary solutions. “The aviation market is very attentive to the future supply of SAF and we, as leaders in the supply of aviation fuels in this country, are looking for the best ways to meet this demand. Participating in this Innovation Cluster on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with large companies, such as Suzano and Galp, is an excellent opportunity to evaluate what is currently being developed around the world, transforming it into future concrete actions”, says Marcelo Bragança, vice president of sourcing and logistics at Vibra.
The program has 3 phases
The program, focused on sustainability, will be divided into three phases. “The first stage is what we call discovery, when we bring together this group of companies and understand their strategies in relation to SAF, the research they have already done and what they are seeing as an opportunity. In the second phase, Bolder will facilitate the idealized solutions, enabling agreements in conjunction with business development for SAF. We will also carry out a global screening of advanced technological solutions to connect them with this market here in Brazil, facilitating synergy with other countries. In the third and final phase, implementation, we must monitor the execution of the agreements made, the investment and the strategic partnership”, details Gusmão.
In Brazil, the topic has reverberated. In March of this year, the Chamber of Deputies approved the Future Fuel Bill. It states that, from 2027, airlines will be required to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions through the use of SAF. The reduction in emissions should start at 1% in 2027 and will gradually increase over 10 years, reaching 10% in 2037. Fuel is the main bet to decarbonize the airline sector, as it emits 60% to 80% less carbon than jet fuel.
According to data from Rystad Energy, in 2023, almost 2 billion liters of SAF were produced, triple the previous year, with an installed capacity of almost 4.5 billion liters at the beginning of this year. The entry into operation of new projects in 2024 and 2025, both in the United States and in China and Europe, should increase global production by 350%. Despite the increase, this volume should represent only 4.2% of all global biofuel production.
Brazil is still in its infancy when it comes to sustainable aviation fuel
Brazil is still in the early stages of this market, with the first SAF plant expected to be operational in 2025, with two others expected to be opened in the following semesters. This would put the country’s production capacity at 2 billion liters of SAF or approximately 10% of global capacity in 2026, values far from the 43 billion liters that the country produced in biofuels alone last year.
In practice, Bolder’s great expectation is that this program will favor the definition of scalable energy routes and the group will be able to go through all stages, from production, distribution, supply and flight testing.
About Bolder
Founded in 2018 in Rio de Janeiro, Bolder is a corporate innovation company focused on complex and strategic problems. Driven by transformation, the company decodes companies and their problems, building innovative solutions that, in addition to combining education, entrepreneurship and technology, save customers from marketing sameness.
More information at www.somosbolder.com.br.
About Vibra
Leader in the Brazilian fuel and lubricant distribution market, Vibra provides the best energy and mobility alternative to its customers, aligned with the best ESG practices in the sector. In the automotive market, Vibra holds the license to use the Petrobras brand, forming a network of 8,300 gas stations across the country. Vibra Energia’s franchises for the segment are the BR Mania convenience stores and the Lubrax+ automotive lubrication centers. With a logistics structure that guarantees its presence in all regions of the country, the company has a portfolio of more than 18 thousand large corporate clients, in segments such as aviation, transport, industries, mining, chemical products and agribusiness.
BR Aviation
Under the BR Aviation brand, the company has around 70% of the aviation market, supplying aircraft at more than 90 Brazilian airports. In lubricants, it is the market leader with the Lubrax brand, top of mind, and has the largest industrial plant for the production of lubricants in Latin America. Vibra is a company in permanent evolution and has already invested around R$4 billion in energy transition, through investments and/or establishment of partnerships with Comerc, Zeg, Evolua and EZVolt. In this way, Vibra is on its way to becoming one of the main energy companies in the country, with a relevant role in the energy transition that is so necessary for society.
For more information about Vibra, Click here.
About Suzano
Suzano is the world’s largest cellulose producer, one of the largest paper producers in Latin America, leader in the toilet paper segment in Brazil and a reference in the development of sustainable and innovative solutions from renewable raw materials. Our products and solutions are present in the lives of more than 2 billion people, supply more than 100 countries and include cellulose, printing and writing paper, packaging paper, cups and straws, sanitary paper and absorbent products, in addition to new bioproducts developed to meet global demand. Innovation and sustainability guide our purpose of “Renewing life from trees” and our work in facing the challenges of society and the planet. With 100 years of history, we have shares on the stock exchanges in Brazil (SUZB3) and the United States (SUZ). Find out more on the page www.suzano.com.br
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