Japan steps up used cooking oil collection for SAF production

Japan is increasing efforts to collect used cooking oil (UCO) for the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The country aims to source 10% of airline fuel from sustainable sources by 2030.

According to government estimates, Japan would need around 1.7 million kilolitres of sustainable feedstock to meet this target. However, current domestic SAF production stands at only about 30,000 kilolitres, or 0.3% of total jet fuel consumption, highlighting a significant gap between targets and reality.

Airlines ANA and Japan Airlines say the situation has proven more challenging than expected. Key constraints include limited feedstock availability and insufficient infrastructure to scale up SAF production.

Japan’s challenges reflect a global race for SAF feedstocks. In many countries, SAF projects are lagging behind plans, while a significant number of announced initiatives have yet to reach commercial production due to resource shortages and high costs.

Against this backdrop, Japan is accelerating UCO collection systems. Tokyo is expanding public-private cooperation to collect used oil from millions of households, while supermarket chains are installing more drop-off points. Companies are also collecting used oil from corporate cafeterias as part of joint initiatives.

Energy and industrial firms such as Eneos and JGC are considering expanding SAF production, but emphasise that stable feedstock supply and clear demand signals remain critical for scaling up sustainable aviation fuel output.

Tags: Japan, biofuel, used cooking oil