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Shell International Aviation, Makati, Philippines: Avelia: One of the world's first blockchain powered book-and-claim solutions for scaling sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)

Company: Shell International Aviation
Company Description: Shell International Aviation is Shell’s face to the Aviation industry and is a leading supplier of aviation fuels, lubricants and low carbon products at approximately 800 airports across 40 countries. Our customers range from airports and airlines, military and government plus private customers such as corporate jet operators and flying schools.
Nomination Category: Customer Service & Call Center Awards Achievement Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Award for Innovation in Customer Service - All Other Industries
2023 Stevie Winner Nomination Title: Avelia: One of the world’s first blockchain powered book-and-claim solutions for scaling sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)
  1. Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the nominated achievement since July 1, 2021, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
    Written answers to the questions
  2. If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions for this category, provide them in the spaces below.

     

  3. Briefly describe the nominated organization: its history and past performance (up to 200 words):

    Total 188 words used.

    Shell International Aviation is a leading supplier of aviation fuels, lubricants and low carbon products at approximately 500 airports across 40 countries. We serve thousands of customers globally, ranging from airlines, cargo operators, government and private companies. Our indirect customers would be everyone who benefits from air cargo and transport.

    In Shell Aviation, we fuel an aircraft every 14 seconds. There is still a vast growth opportunity in air travel for years to come. However, there is a need to balance this increase in demand with environmental impact.

    In response to the climate change challenge, Shell unveiled its Powering Progress strategy in 2021, and has set out a clear target to become a Net Zero Emission (NZE) Business by 2050 or sooner. At the heart of Shell’s powering progress strategy is making customer centricity a hallmark for Shell--Working customer-back to address dynamic needs of our customers as we navigate through balanced energy transition.

    In June 2022, Shell Aviation, in partnership with Accenture and American Express Global Business Travel, launched Avelia, one of the world’s first blockchain-powered sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) book-and-claim solution to help accelerate aviation industry’s decarbonization.

  4. Outline the nominated achievement since July 1 2021 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):

    Total 250 words used.

    Aviation is one of the hardest-to-abate sectors. Currently, SAF is the most viable option but supply is very costly and limited. SAF demand must be resolute to enable energy providers to invest in facilities to increase SAF supply.Current indicative demand is lacking since airlines cannot afford to purchase SAF at scale.

    While airlines can’t compete at SAF’s cost today, business travel as a concentrated industry is uniquely positioned to help address the challenge since the premium is nominal relative to the business travel cost. This led to Shell Aviation developing an industry-first solution where everyone in the Aviation value chain can contribute to scale SAF production.

    Shell Aviation collaborated with external partners in developing Avelia, one of the world’s first blockchain-powered SAF book-and-claim solutions. Avelia provides customers with fully traceable SAF environmental attributes to help them achieve their corporate carbon emission reduction targets. With Avelia, airlines and business customers could simultaneously reduce emissions in their respective scopes, while ensuring transparency and data integrity via blockchain technology. Avelia connects airlines and businesses globally to share costs and environmental benefits of SAF, thereby generating enough aggregated demand to accelerate the aviation industry’s pathway toward NZE by 2050.

    Since its launch, Avelia has abated 30,000 tCO2e (tonne carbon dioxide equivalent) equivalent to around 50,000 flights from London to New York, and gained recognition from governmental and industry bodies. It contracted 49 million gallons of SAF until 2026, abating CO2 equivalent to nearly 800,000 flights from London to New York.

  5. Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):

    Total 150 words used.

    Shell, Accenture and Amex GBT launch Avelia, one of the world’s first blockchain powered digital book-and-claim solutions for scaling sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)

    Avelia as a book-and-claim mechanism offers opportunity to overcome SAF supply challenge. It allows companies to claim the environmental attributes of SAF purchased and delivered to an airport's fueling network, even when the SAF is not used to fuel their specific.

    >Avelia’s milestones after 18 months in-market. Avelia’s aggregate results demonstrate the power of collaboration and book-and-claim in action, making SAF’s environmental attributes accessible across the globe despite the constraints of the current fuelling network. These numbers have been formally submitted to Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to provide evidence related to the uptake of attributes leading to the transformation needed to reach net zero ambition by 2050.

    Some of our customers that joined Avelia, our SAF book-and-claim solution:

    Google
    Rolls Royce
    Bank of America
    Delta
    Yokogawa

  6. Explain why the achievement you have highlighted is unique or significant. If possible compare the achievement to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization's past performance (up to 250 words):

    Total 248 words used.

    Technological innovations and collaboration are both integral. Avelia delivered a game changer industry-wide solution where everyone in Aviation value chain can play a role to scale SAF production to accelerate aviation industry’s NZE ambition.

    The use of blockchain technology is key. Avelia is the only solution that connects suppliers and buyers of SAF using blockchain technology.  Blockchain technology ensures data integrity and validates proof of ownership, preventing double counting issues. Notably, Shell ensured that Avelia runs its blockchain operations on 100% renewable energy, thereby mitigating the energy intensiveness of blockchain technology.

    Avelia ensures great customer experience by ensuring trust, transparency and security. It provides airlines access to more affordable SAF and increases access to SAF environmental attributes for corporates enabling reduced emissions from business travel. Avelia provides customers with web-based platform, allowing them to track emission reductions, equivalent carbon abated and access emission calculator.

    Avelia was designed to drive acceptance of book-and-claim model. It allows flexibility whereby airlines and corporates can simultaneously reduce emissions in their respective scopes, regardless where SAF was fueled.

    Main driver for Avelia is not competition but collaboration. Aviation is clearly one of the hard-to-abate sectors, which makes it imperative for every single industry player to come together and collaborate toward common goal. There are several small SAF producers who can’t get their product to the market because they lack logistics infrastructure. Shell Aviation partners with them, and provides blending facilities and logistics capability to reach target customers—collectively powering progress toward net zero 2050.

Attachments/Videos/Links:
Avelia: One of the world’s first blockchain powered book-and-claim solutions for scaling sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)
URL Shell Avelia
URL Shell, Accenture and Amex GBT launch Avelia
URL Avelia as a book-and-claim mechanism offers opportunity to overcome SAF supply challenge
URL Avelia’s milestones after 18 months in-market
URL Google: Avelia Customer
URL Rolls Royce: Avelia Customer
URL Bank of America: Avelia Customer
URL Delta: Avelia Customer
URL Yokogawa