As 2024 comes to a close, RSB is grateful for a year marked by significant growth, meaningful collaborations, and transformative achievements.
Across twelve months of tireless effort, RSB has solidified its role as a global leader in advancing the bio-based and circular economy towards a net-positive world. From strengthening its programmatic services to expanding certifications and fostering stakeholder engagement among its stakeholder community, RSB’s progress underscores its unwavering commitment to sustainability and innovation.
Here are our 2024 highlights
- Team growth
- The RSB team expanded to 32 members.
- New expertise in the Board of Directors
- Freya Burton (Material & Chemical Value Chains Advisor)
- Tim Thomson (Sustainable Finance Director)
- Membership expansion
- RSB experienced a 23% growth in membership
- Hosted over 28 working group and platform meetings, engaging more than 1,000 participants, additionally hosting 5 in-person events, and presenting at more than 50 external events.
- New research
- RSB and Boeing published a study on sustainable feedstock potential in Southeast Asia, highlighting regional opportunities for growth.
- New initiatives
- RSB launched the inaugural Transition Leaders Awards, receiving 19 applications, and proudly became an official nominator for the 2025 Earthshot Prize.
- The RSB Academy Programme was also introduced – a new educational initiative dedicated to capacity building for a sustainable bioeconomy. The launch of the programme was accompanied by the launch of eleven e-learning courses on RSB sustainability certification.
- Implementation development
- The RSB Book & Claim Registry registered over 22,000 tonnes of neat SAF, garnering significant stakeholder interest.
- The RSB Impact Alliance Model received approval from the ICAO SCS evaluation group.
- Growing impact of advisory services
- As RSB’s Advisory Services team has grown, so too has its potential to offer significant impactful support to various organisations in the bioeconomy.
Now take a deeper dive into an impactful year, month by month.
JANUARY
Laying the foundations for a strong year
The year began with a notable milestone as RSB received a positive assessment for its Implementing Regulation under the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED). This recognition reinforced RSB’s credibility in ensuring sustainable biofuel production.
Later in the month, RSB offered a preview of its ambitious Multi-Stakeholder Engagement Programme for 2024, setting the stage for collaborative initiatives aimed at addressing global sustainability challenges.
FEBRUARY
Collaborating on innovation takes centre stage
February showed what is possible when we collaborate on innovation. On February 12, we celebrated Repsol achieving certification to trade sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) within RSB’s innovative Book & Claim System – demonstrating the system’s scalability and impact. Just days later at the RSB Innovations Meeting in USA, held in partnership with Procter & Gamble, we continued our regional effort to explore opportunities for cross-sectoral collaboration to advance the sustainable bioeconomy.
MARCH
Strengthening our global role
The growth of RSB’s reach and impact was evident in March, as global sustainability organisations formed the RIA with RSB on March 1 to share risk information, enhancing transparency across sectors.
Mid-month, RSB published the Sustainable Airports Platform Toolkit, a resource designed to support airports in the growing SAF economy.
The month closed with the launch of the RSB Book & Claim Recognition Procedure, paving the way for an ecosystem of registries to support sustainability claims.
APRIL
Expanding into new sectors
In April, RSB opened a public consultation on its Book & Claim framework for the maritime sector, signalling its commitment to expanding sustainable practices across industries. This initiative highlighted RSB’s proactive approach to addressing emerging challenges in hard-to-abate sectors.
MAY
Securing funding and forging pxartnerships
In May, RSB’s efforts received a significant boost with the award of an ISEAL Innovations Fund grant. This grant will help advance consistency and credibility in sustainability solutions for difficult-to-decarbonise sectors.
RSB also announced a landmark partnership with the World Economic Forum’s First Movers Coalition. As an Implementation Partner for the aviation sector, the collaboration aims to further enhance knowledge, leadership and decision-making power on SAF among their stakeholders communities.
And then, at the end of the month, we were proud to co-author with To70 a case study on the non-CO2 impacts of SAF, underscoring the importance of holistic assessments.
JUNE
Advancing standards
June was an exciting month, as we launched of the latest version of the RSB Principles & Criteria, an updated flagship document that reflects RSB’s evolving vision for sustainability. This milestone further demonstrated RSB’s dedication to maintaining robust and adaptive standards.
JULY
Sharing knowledge and driving demand
We we thrilled to share RSB’s 2023 Impact Report, which was published at the beginning of the month to showcase RSB’s achievements over the previous year.
Also building on the previous year, this month RSB also shared the entire series of SAF-now webinars – for free – providing valuable insights to industry stakeholders.
Later in the month, we announced launch of the Demand Signal Recognition Book & Claim Pilot with World Energy, which was a new project aimed to boost the SAF market.
AUGUST
Gaining further international recognition
August brought significant progress in RSB’s global influence, as the Japanese government formally recognised RSB’s revised Japan FIT Standard, which now includes an expanded list of eligible feedstocks.
SEPTEMBER
Exploring more regional opportunities
In September, RSB partnered with Boeing to launch a study on sustainable feedstock potential in Southeast Asia, highlighting regional opportunities for growth.
Later in the month, RSB surpassed a major milestone by issuing over 100 retirement statements on its Book & Claim Registry.
OCTOBER
Producing robust research on sector transformation
October was a month that demonstrated RSB’s expertise in producing multiple research outputs.
First, we published a White Paper on decarbonising the maritime sector, offering strategic insights to guide industry transitions.
Second, we released a report on its Techno-Economic Assessment Tool, enabling early-stage SAF pathway analysis.
NOVEMBER
Envisioning the future with our R&D Team
In November, RSB’s R&D Projects Team joined project parters from ALIGHT at the Bold Vision for Airports in 2050 workshop, which aimed to inspire transformative change in the aviation sector.
DECEMBER
Concluding with celebrations at CERN
The year concluded on a high note we hosted our flagship event, the RSB Annual Conference, at CERN’s Science Gateway in Geneva, Switzerland. This gathering of stakeholders celebrated the achievements of 2024 and charted an ambitious path forward – one in which finance professionals are working collaboratively with sustainability professional towards a net-positive world.
RSB’s journey through 2024 highlights its growing influence as a driving force for sustainability and innovation. By expanding its certification programs, enhancing stakeholder collaboration, and spearheading initiatives across diverse sectors, RSB has continued to lead the way toward a bio-based and circular economy.
As we close this transformative year, RSB extends its deepest gratitude to its membership and stakeholder community. Your unwavering support, dedication, and collaboration have been the driving force behind our shared achievements in 2024. Together, we have advanced the vision of a sustainable, bio-based, and circular economy.
We look forward to continuing this journey with you in 2025, as we strive to create a brighter, more sustainable future for all.
