International Airlines Group (IAG) has announced an investment in Wastefront, a company focused on converting used tires into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The process involves transforming waste tires into tire-derived oil, which is then refined into both road fuels and SAF.
This partnership enables Wastefront to begin construction on a tire-to-fuel facility in the Port of Sunderland, which is expected to start operations in 2026. Once fully operational, the plant aims to process up to 10 million waste tires annually.
In the UK, approximately 50 million end-of-life tires are generated each year. Currently, many of these are exported to countries like India, where they are either incinerated in cement plants or disposed of in landfills. Facilities such as the planned Wastefront plant are significant for meeting the UK’s SAF mandate that took effect on January 1.
This mandate requires that at least 10% of all jet fuel used for flights departing the UK must come from sustainable sources by 2030, with that percentage increasing to 22% by 2040.
Jonathon Counsell, IAG’s Group Sustainability Officer, emphasized the importance of supporting innovations like Wastefront’s to enhance the production of advanced fuels. He also noted the need for a revenue certainty mechanism from the government to encourage UK businesses to invest in SAF technology without significantly increasing costs for airlines.
Vianney Valès, CEO of Wastefront, stated that the company’s mission is to convert problematic waste into a valuable resource. He highlighted that their technology could produce SAF at a competitive cost while significantly reducing carbon emissions during production, potentially achieving an 80% reduction compared to traditional jet fuels.