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A new account type has been introduced within the RSB Book & Claim Registry – the Facilitator role – designed to unlock broader participation in credible climate action by enabling third-party organisations to manage Book & Claim Units (BCUs) on behalf of others.
With this new functionality, the RSB Registry strengthens its position as a powerful mechanism for accelerating the scaling of sustainable fuels by providing better access to organisations that really want to make an impact at the source of emissions.
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What is book and claim?
Book and claim is an innovative market mechanism that decouples sustainability attributes from physical products – such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) – allowing these attributes to be transferred and tracked independently, and enabling sustainability claims to be credibly supported even when the physical product is not consumed directly by the purchaser.
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What is the RSB Registry?
The RSB Registry is the backbone of book and claim transactions. As a secure and standardised digital platform, the RSB Registry manages the lifecycle of BCUs – from issuance and holding to transfer and retirement.
For example, when a company wishes to make a sustainability claim for using SAF, the corresponding BCUs are ‘retired’ on the Registry, and a retirement statement is issued, providing third-party verification of the claim.
The Registry ensures that each claim is accounted for only once and tied to verified sustainability outcomes, upholding transparency, traceability, and integrity across the value chain.
With over 120 retirement statements already issued in 2024, the RSB Registry further cements the role of book and claim as a valuable and credible solution for accelerating decarbonisation across hard-to-abate sectors.
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How does the Facilitator role work?
The Facilitator account role introduces a new level of flexibility within the RSB Registry, allowing third-party organisations to manage BCUs on behalf of authorised account holders – without ever owning the BCUs themselves.
Facilitators are granted permission to access and manage the BCU inventory of participating company accounts, but only once those companies have assigned specific BCUs to the Facilitator and provided formal authorisation through the system. This ensures full traceability and preserves the integrity of ownership and sustainability claims, while enabling a smoother user experience for companies that wish to delegate transaction responsibilities.
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Figure 1: Simplified illustration of the Facilitator role using a SAF use case.
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This role was first piloted by Airbus in early 2025, supporting the transfer of BCUs from sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) producers to small aircraft and helicopter operators not yet integrated into the RSB Registry. This includes, as announced by Airbus: SMBC Aviation Capital, followed by Aercap, Comlux, Luxaviation, Novespace, Rive Private Investment and SAF Aerogroup.
By operating as a Facilitator, Airbus was able to simplify access to book and claim mechanisms for its customers, helping them participate the RSB Book & Claim System without taking on the administrative burden to negotiate SAF offtake agreements or technical duties of RSB Registry management.
Other potential Facilitators could include platform providers, demand aggregators, and buyers’ clubs – all playing a key role in broadening access to the system and amplifying the impact of book and claim.
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Why this matters
The introduction of the Facilitator role is more than a technical upgrade – it’s a strategic enabler for scale. By empowering trusted intermediaries to act on behalf of others, RSB is helping to remove barriers to participation and making it easier for a wider range of actors to credibly engage in the bioeconomy ensuring that climate action tools are not only effective, but also accessible and credible.
With the launch of the Facilitator role, the overall RSB Book & Claim System is also strengthened. By ensuring that growth in participation is matched with robust oversight and traceability, the door has been opened for innovation in how sustainability value is shared and claimed.
As the bioeconomy matures, mechanisms like book and claim – and the digital infrastructure that supports them – will be essential in bridging the gap between sustainability ambition and market realities.
To learn more about the RSB Registry and how to participate as a Facilitator, reach out to RSB Book & Claim Team, bookandclaim[@]rsb.org
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