1 Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show

Ben Wager edited this page 2025-01-12 03:46:27 +01:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest industry program in Las Vegas luxury jets are luring buyers with their sleek silhouettes, plush cabins - and progressively, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are eager to showcase unique forms of air travel fuel deemed less hazardous to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the distinctly less glamorous meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airline companies, have bowed to environmental pressure on aviation and dedicated to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.

Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to curb emissions could make business jets more appealing to ecologically mindful purchasers - specifically corporations facing concerns over sustainability from shareholders or green campaign groups.

The schedule of less polluting personal jets might likewise spare the abundant and famous the negative promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his spouse Meghan over a current private jet journey to southern France.

Five Gulfstream jets on display 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 by-products of the food industry," said Bryan Sherbacow, primary commercial officer of Boston-based biofuel manufacturer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste utilized by Gulfstream.

"All of our product is inedible."

A few of the other 79 airplane on screen are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other eco-friendly fuel mixes anticipated to be pumped at the .

FLIGHT SHAMING

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

Prince Harry has protected his occasional usage of personal jets to guarantee his household's safety, and has actually stated that on the uncommon celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state events such as the furore over his schedule have actually included fresh obstacles for a market currently striving to validate its contribution to cutting business costs.

"Incidents of flight shaming involving the usage of personal jets are regrettable when you think about that our industry has delivered fuel effectiveness improvements of 40% over the previous 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel usage will help the industry make inroads with corporations and rich buyers. According to industry data, billionaires only have a 19% service jet ownership rate.

But even an image makeover - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this airplane flies on renewable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for going to aircrafts - is unlikely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.

Environmentalists and some analysts remain skeptical that biojetfuels, typically combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a considerable impact on public perceptions about high-end travel.

"No quantity of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make service jets look eco-friendly," said air travel expert Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from business jet operators for sustainable 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, might expand production up to 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter companies and experts are likewise seeing more interest from clients who want to buy carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, said emissions played a function in a corporate jet usage study his company just recently completed for a Fortune 500 company.

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