Accelerating Carbon Abatement

This market analysis reports that China's sustainable aviation fuel exports reached a record high in August, with customs data showing about 131,000 tons shipped, a 37 percent jump from July and roughly 30 percent above the previous record set in May. Europe received the entire volume, extending a pattern that has held since April and making the China-to-Europe link one of the clearest SAF trade relationships to emerge in 2026, accounting for nearly all of China's export volume for the year to date. The August surge was driven largely by sharply higher shipments to Belgium, which took almost three-quarters of the total, alongside new records for Spain and France, while shipments to the Netherlands fell steeply and the United Kingdom took none. The piece frames rising cross-border volumes as encouraging evidence that SAF is moving beyond isolated cargoes toward larger, more established commercial flows, while cautioning that the concentration on a single region leaves exports exposed to shifts in policy, eligibility rules, certification and buying patterns. It stresses that the durability of the trend will depend on more than demand, including feedstock availability, production economics, competition from other suppliers, and whether Chinese supply remains eligible under European sustainability frameworks... Click below to read more