Japan is rapidly expanding public-private initiatives to collect discarded cooking oil from households and businesses to boost the domestic production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Spurred by rising energy costs and international supply strains, the resource-poor country aims to collect 10% of its jet fuel from eco-friendly alternatives by 2030.
Initiatives like the “Fry to Fly” project are rallying citizens to donate used kitchen oil via local supermarkets and community collection hubs, while major corporate retail brands like Aeon, Ito-Yokado, and 7-Eleven are setting up additional drop-off locations to capture as much raw material as possible.
Despite these nationwide efforts, the country faces steep infrastructure challenges and limited supplies of domestic feedstock. At present, Japan produces just a fraction of its targeted volume, and domestic experts calculate that even collecting every drop of available waste oil would fulfill only about a quarter of the government’s 2030 goal. Because the conversion process is complex and expensive, domestic refiners like Eneos face significant risks as they weigh major upcoming investment decisions, meaning Japan will likely have to depend on foreign imports of raw materials or finished green fuel to bridge the massive supply gap.
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is a biofuel used to power aircraft that has similar properties to conventional jet fuel, but with a smaller carbon footprint. SAF, which is made from renewable biomass and waste-based feedstocks, can be used in all existing turbine aircraft, and reduces aviation lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by as much as 80%.
