SAF Producer Neste Walks Back 2035 Zero-Emission Pledge

Company has agreements to supply sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for Boeing, Airbus, and several major U.S. airlines.

Jack Daleo

Monday, December 29, 2025 at 03:30 PM ET

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Jack Daleo

Neste and United Airlines are partnering to supply SAF to major airports around the U.S. [Credit: United Airlines]

Key Takeaways:

Finland's Neste, the world's largest producer of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), has retracted its commitment to achieve carbon-neutral production by 2035.
The company replaced this "very ambitious" target with a goal to reduce operational greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2040, citing financial constraints and unrealistic investment requirements for the original pledge.
Neste's revised climate targets are due to its current financial position not allowing further major capital expenditure beyond ongoing investments and delays in refinery transformation projects.
This decision has global implications for the aviation industry, potentially impacting the sustainability goals of major airlines and aerospace companies that partner with Neste for SAF supply.

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Finland’s Neste—which claims to be the world’s largest producer of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)—is walking back its pledge to achieve carbon-neutral production by 2035.

Neste made the commitment in 2020 when it signed The Climate Pledge—a coalition of 625 signatories that aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040, a decade ahead of the target set by the United Nations’ Paris Agreement. In December, though, the company said its “very ambitious” target “would have required significant investments that are currently not realistic.”