Zemo’s Renewable Fuels Assurance Scheme makes gains

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CNG Fuels

Zemo Partnership’s Renewable Fuels Assurance Scheme (RFAS) for higher blend (15%-plus) renewable fuels, launched last year, now has 14 fully approved fuel suppliers.

The RFAS gives heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) operators information about the greenhouse gas (GHG) and wider sustainability performance of renewable fuels supplied in the UK. The scheme is open to companies supplying sustainable low carbon fuels used in road vehicles and non-road mobile machinery, including biofuels and renewable hydrogen.

The RFAS was set up after a Zemo Partnership study found that an important barrier to uptake was the need for HDV fleet operators to have more clarity in terms of the environmental credentials of renewable fuels, both for company carbon reporting and making decisions on fleet decarbonisation solutions.

While the electrification of cars and vans is now well under way, larger, long-range vehicles and legacy cars and vans will be on the road for the next 20-30 years. Cutting GHG emissions from these vehicles by using renewable fuels remains a key objective.

The RFAS approves companies supplying sustainable low carbon fuels on the basis of meeting three performance criteria, with evidence verified by an independent auditor complementing the safeguards included in the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO). The assurance criteria are based on fuel life-cycle GHG emissions, feedstock sustainability and supply chain traceability.

A unique feature of the scheme is a ‘Renewable Fuel Declaration’ which operators receive with batches of the renewable fuel purchased. The declaration includes a colour-coded GHG emission savings banding system, similar to energy efficiency labels, encouraging fleet operators to strive to achieve higher GHG emissions savings.

Suppliers now approved under the Renewable Fuels Assurance Scheme include: