• Sustainable aviation fuel is expected to play a central role in reducing aviation emissions, but new analysis suggests current SAF mandates alone may deliver only modest reductions by 2030.
• Woodland Group’s 2025 Sustainability Report found that air freight accounted for 57 percent of transport-related emissions and highlighted the importance of voluntary airline commitments, Book & Claim programmes and operational improvements alongside fuel adoption.
• The findings underline the growing focus on data-driven emissions reporting and broader decarbonisation strategies across the air cargo sector.

Sustainable aviation fuel has become the aviation industry’s primary decarbonisation tool, underpinning airline climate strategies and new regulatory mandates in Europe and the UK.

Yet new analysis suggests that current SAF requirements alone may deliver only limited emissions reductions over the next decade, raising questions about how quickly air cargo can reduce its carbon footprint.

Woodland Group’s 2025 Sustainability Report shows reductions across several operational emissions categories while also outlining new services designed to help customers lower transport-related emissions.

According to the report, electricity-related emissions fell by 56 percent compared with the company’s 2022 baseline, while emissions associated with material handling operations declined by 59 percent year-on-year. Woodland said more than 94 percent of its material handling fleet has now transitioned from fossil fuel-powered equipment to electric alternatives.

The report also provides a detailed breakdown of the company’s emissions profile. Transportation activities accounted for 97 percent of Woodland’s total emissions footprint in 2025. Within transport operations, air freight represented 57.06 percent of transport-related emissions, followed by road freight at 22.11 percent, ocean freight at 20.01 percent, and rail freight at 0.82 percent.

Airfreight reductions rely on SAF mandates and airline commitments

Woodland reviewed a six-month dataset covering shipments moved between March and August 2025 to assess how air freight emissions may evolve through 2030.

According to the report, current UK and EU Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) mandates alone would result in an estimated 2–3% reduction in air freight emissions intensity by 2030 and around 7–8 percent by 2050.

Woodland noted that several airlines within its network have published SAF commitments above regulatory requirements, with many targeting 10 percent SAF use by 2030 and some aiming for as much as 30%.

Taking account of SAF mandates, airline commitments and other operational measures, Woodland estimates an overall 9 percent reduction in airfreight emissions intensity by 2030 compared with 2025 levels, equivalent to approximately 10,000 metric tonnes of CO₂e.

The company also highlighted uncertainty around future SAF feedstocks. The report notes that under current guidelines, Hydro-processed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) could meet all UK SAF demand in 2025–26, but that proportion is expected to fall to 71 percent by 2030.

Alongside operational changes, Woodland expanded its Sustainable Supply Chain Solutions programme. The company said it now provides carbon reporting for 100% of customer shipments managed through its network. The reporting methodology incorporates specific vessel identifiers, flight numbers, transport modes and alternative fuel usage to calculate shipment-level emissions data.

They also introduced Book & Claim services across air, ocean and road freight. The approach allows customers to support the use of lower-carbon fuels even when those fuels are not physically available on the specific route used for a shipment.

The report states that growing customer demand for lower-emission transport options has contributed to increased adoption of alternative fuels and multimodal transport solutions across Woodland’s operations and partner network.

The report outlines a number of internal initiatives aimed at reducing operational emissions. Woodland said it has increased onsite solar generation capacity almost fivefold since 2022 and continues to invest in renewable electricity, energy efficiency measures and electrification projects. Electricity-related emissions fell from 834.17 tonnes of CO₂e in 2022 to 366.14 tonnes in 2025.

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