Chemicals and energy company Sasol and advanced energy tech-nology company Topsoe are winding down their sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) joint venture Zaffra, shifting to a more focused collaboration through their existing Single Point Licensor (SPL) framework as the partnership enters its next phase of market development, Sasol announced in June.

“This carefully considered decision reflects the next organisational phase of Sasol and Topsoe’s work together in [SAF] development,” said Sasol president and CEO Simon Baloyi.

Zaffra was established in 2023 to bring together Sasol’s advanced Fischer-Tropsch fuel technology and Topsoe’s clean fuels technologies in support of emerging SAF opportunities.

Since then, Zaffra has played an important role in strengthening the partnership, building market insight, developing an opportunity pipeline and engaging customers and value-chain partners in a rapidly evolving sector.

Following a strategic review, the companies decided to wind down Zaffra in an orderly manner while continuing and enhancing their technology-led collaboration through the SPL framework, established in 2019.

“Zaffra has helped establish an important foundation for this market,” said Baloyi, adding that Sasol remains committed to building on this foundation through its long-standing technology-led collaboration with Topsoe and supporting the development of sustainable fuels.

As the SAF market matures, Sasol and Topsoe have concluded that a more focused and flexible structure will better support the next phase of collaboration, allowing the companies to work together where their combined technology offering creates value, while enabling more tailored approaches to selected projects, innovation activities and market-development opportunities.

Therefore, the wind-down of Zaffra is “a structural adjustment as opposed to a retreat” from the Sasol–Topsoe partnership or their commitment to SAF initiatives. The SPL framework, under which six licences are already signed, remains central to their technology-led relationship.

Through the framework, the companies will continue to offer integrated technology solutions to customers as well as assess whether additional targeted structures may be appropriate for priority initiatives requiring deeper collaboration.

“As the SAF market evolves, it is important that our collaboration model evolves with it,” said Topsoe president and CEO Elena Scaltritti.

The wind-down process will be managed in a disciplined and compliant manner, entailing engagement with Zaffra’s customers, value-chain partners, employees and other relevant stakeholders to protect important relationships, reduce uncertainty and support continuity during the transition.