Amazon has announced its financial backing for biotech firm GranBio to support the commercial scaling of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) derived from forestry and construction waste. The technology is aimed at reducing emissions within hard-to-abate transport sectors, including aviation and long-haul road haulage.
GranBio’s process converts abundant, underutilised materials—such as leftover branches from logging operations, crop stalks, discarded pallets, and plywood—into biobased fuels. The woody biomass is broken down to extract carbon from plant fibres, which is then synthesised into fuel molecules. The resulting drop-in renewable diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel are chemically identical to conventional fossil fuels, meaning they are fully compatible with existing engines and transport infrastructure. Additionally, the manufacturing process generates a heat byproduct that powers the facility, lowering external energy requirements.
Over the next decade, GranBio plans to expand its production capacity by converting dormant pulp and paper mills across the United States into advanced biorefineries, a move intended to restore manufacturing jobs to those regions.
Kim Nelson, GranBio’s chief technology officer, emphasised the significance of the partnership, stating: “Working with Amazon on this project brings us closer to proving that sustainable aviation fuel made from forest and construction waste can be a real, scalable solution for decarbonising aviation. Our technology takes materials that would otherwise go unused and transforms them into clean energy, while creating opportunities to revitalise rural communities and improve the health of America’s forests.”
Amazon is funding the initiative as part of its broader strategy to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, targeting areas where vehicle electrification is not yet viable at scale.
Andreas Marschner, Amazon’s vice president of Worldwide Operations Sustainability, commented on the industry-wide necessity for such solutions: “Aviation needs lower-carbon fuel, and the supply doesn’t exist at scale yet. GranBio’s technology has the potential to change that, turning abundant waste materials into drop-in fuels. By investing now, we’re helping demonstrate the demand for solutions that, if they succeed, can become available to the whole industry. That’s how we accelerate this transition. Not alone, but together.”
