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Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show

julieernst5063 edited this page 2025-01-11 17:17:25 +00:00

By Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's greatest industry show in Las Vegas luxury jets are luring buyers with their streamlined silhouettes, luxurious cabins - and increasingly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are keen to display novel types of aviation fuel considered less harmful to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the clearly less glamorous meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airline companies, have actually acquiesced environmental pressure on air travel and devoted to cutting in half carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.

Their hope is that embracing sustainable fuel to suppress emissions could make business jets more appealing to environmentally mindful purchasers - specifically corporations facing questions over sustainability from investors or green project groups.

The accessibility of less polluting private jets might likewise spare the rich and well-known the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his better half Meghan over a current private jet journey to southern France.

Five Gulfstream jets on screen in Las Vegas are using California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.

The current waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food industry," stated Bryan Sherbacow, chief industrial officer of Boston-based biofuel manufacturer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste utilized by Gulfstream.

"All of our item is inedible."

Some of the other 79 airplane on display are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other eco-friendly fuel blends anticipated to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets represent less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions globally, however can release, usually, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has actually protected his periodic use of personal jets to guarantee his household's safety, and has said that on the unusual celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say occurrences such as the furore over his travel plan have actually added fresh challenges for a market currently aiming to validate its contribution to cutting corporate costs.

"Incidents of flight shaming including the usage of personal jets are unfortunate when you consider that our industry has actually provided fuel efficiency enhancements of 40% over the previous 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel use will help the market make inroads with corporations and wealthy buyers. According to industry information, billionaires only have a 19% company jet ownership rate.

But even an image makeover - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for going to planes - is not likely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some experts stay skeptical that biojetfuels, generally mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a considerable impact on public perceptions about high-end travel.

"No amount of jatropha curcas or Brazil-nut fuel can make service jets look eco-friendly," said aviation expert Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from business jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far goes beyond supply and their interest could drive future production, Sherbacow said.

World Energy, which produces 40 million gallons of biofuel at its California plant, could expand production approximately 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter companies and specialists are also seeing more interest from customers who wish to buy carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, stated emissions contributed in a business jet utilization study his business recently finished for a Fortune 500 company.

"At the end of the day, I believe that price, expense per hour, variety, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) motorist. But I believe individuals are becoming more familiar with the sustainability of operations and how it affects the world." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)