Nippon Kaiji Kentei QA issues first certificate under ClassNK SCS, Asia's first ICAO-approved SAF scheme
Why It MattersThe certification gives Japan's SAF supply chain a domestic route to ICAO-approved CORSIA compliance, reducing reliance on overseas certification schemes across Asia.
ClassNK's Sustainable Aviation Fuel certification scheme, ClassNK SCS, has issued its first certificate under the framework. Nippon Kaiji Kentei QA Co., the designated certification body under the scheme, granted the certificate to Mokkanomori Co., a lumber producer and member of the Sumitomo Forestry group, which works on the effective use of woody biomass resources and promotes cascading use of wood by utilizing residues from the sawing process.
ClassNK SCS was approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization in October 2024 and began operations in August 2025, making it the third ICAO-approved SAF certification scheme globally and the first in Asia. Nippon Kaiji Kentei QA, established in 1993, carried out this first certification under the framework.
ClassNK said the issuance provides SAF-related businesses in Japan with a domestic route to obtain certification under an ICAO-approved scheme, where they had previously been required mainly to work with overseas schemes. The certification is relevant to CORSIA, ICAO's Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation, under which SAF-related operators across the supply chain within the certification scope must be certified by bodies operating under an ICAO-approved scheme, with certification schemes and affiliated bodies verifying sustainability from feedstock through the blending point and issuing proof-of-sustainability documents.
ClassNK said it is accepting applications for certification under ClassNK SCS on an ongoing basis and plans to expand its network of certification bodies, aiming to lead development of SAF certification infrastructure in Japan and the broader Asian region to support international supply chains for CORSIA-eligible fuels.
