Book-and-Claim: the mechanism accelerating decarbonization without logistics constraints

The book-and-claim principle

Book-and-claim is an accounting system that separates the physical volume of a sustainable fuel from its environmental attributes, meaning the emissions reduction it generates. A sustainable fuel injected into a given network, an airport or a port for instance, produces a measurable climate benefit independently of the fuel's own physical journey.

In practice, this mechanism allows a company to purchase the environmental attributes of a sustainable fuel without physically sourcing it at the exact location where it was injected. An airline operating from an airport without direct access to SAF can fund its production elsewhere and be credited with the corresponding emissions reduction.

This decoupling addresses a straightforward operational reality: distribution infrastructure for sustainable fuels, whether SAF or sustainable marine fuels, does not yet cover every site. Book-and-claim allows decarbonisation to move forward without waiting for every terminal or airport to have direct physical access.

Traceability and the exchange of environmental attributes

The integrity of this system rests entirely on traceability. Each environmental attribute must be unique, recorded and verifiable, otherwise the mechanism loses its meaning and opens the door to greenwashing.

Several conditions must be met throughout the supply chain to guarantee this integrity.

• A certified registry that records each environmental attribute uniquely and with a timestamp.
• Independent third-party audits to verify the origin and reality of the declared emissions reduction.
• A retirement mechanism that cancels the attribute once it has been claimed, preventing any reuse.
• Full documentary transparency across the whole chain, from producer to final buyer.

Double counting remains the main risk to eliminate: the same attribute must never be claimed by two different parties. This is why documentary traceability becomes just as important as the physical delivery of the fuel itself.

Without a certified registry and independent audit, an environmental attribute carries no probative value with a regulator or end client.

Why market participants benefit from it

For buyers, book-and-claim offers a flexibility that physical logistics cannot always provide. A company can reduce its carbon footprint, particularly on Scope 3, without depending on the exact location of its operations or the pace of infrastructure development.

This mechanism also accelerates production financing. By purchasing environmental attributes, buyers create solvent demand that directly supports SAF and sustainable marine fuel producers, even when physical volumes cannot yet be delivered everywhere.

For maritime and aviation operators, often constrained by rigid port-call or refuelling networks, this approach decouples the purchasing decision from geographic constraints. It allows progress on decarbonisation targets today, in parallel with the gradual rollout of physical infrastructure.

How Heeding secures your attributes and traceability

In a book-and-claim mechanism, the value of a purchase depends on the quality of its documentation. Heeding centralises information and lets buyers retrieve the traceability documents and certificates tied to each order, so that purchased environmental attributes remain defensible before an auditor or regulator.