Nippon Paper Industries Co. Ltd., Sumitomo Corp. and Green Earth Institute Co. Ltd. agreed to look into the production of wood-based cellulosic bioethanol in Japan and its development into products including sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, Nippon Paper said in a statement. Under the agreement the companies will study the possibility of producing “several tens of thousands of kiloliters per year of bioethanol” derived from domestic timber at Nippon Paper’s mills in the fiscal year 2027. Nippon Paper said the bioethanol’s main use will be as a feedstock for SAF. Earlier this year the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimated that total production of sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, tripled in 2022, reaching at least 300 million liters, or about 79.3 million gallons compared with 100 million liters, or 26.4 million gallons, the previous year.