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

Stella Santacruz edited this page 2025-01-11 13:52:25 +00:00

By Allison Lampert

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

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are eager to showcase novel kinds of aviation fuel considered less damaging to the climate, from utilized cooking oil to the noticeably less attractive meat waste.

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

Their hope is that adopting renewable fuel to curb emissions could make company jets more attractive to environmentally mindful purchasers - specifically corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.

The schedule of less polluting private jets might also spare the abundant and famous the negative promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his spouse Meghan over a current personal 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 consist of "fats, grease and oils that are by-products of the food market," stated Bryan Sherbacow, primary business officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste utilized by Gulfstream.

"All of our product is inedible."

A few of the other 79 aircraft on display are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel mixes anticipated to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions internationally, however can give off, usually, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter company Victor.

Prince Harry has actually protected his occasional usage of personal jets to ensure his family's safety, and has actually said that on the uncommon events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

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

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

Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel use will help the market make inroads with corporations and wealthy purchasers. According to market data, billionaires just have a 19% company jet ownership rate.

But even an image makeover - with jets sporting stickers like "this aircraft flies on renewable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for going to is unlikely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some analysts stay doubtful that biojetfuels, normally mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a considerable effect on public understandings about luxury travel.

"No amount of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make company jets look eco-friendly," stated air travel expert Richard Aboulafia.

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

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

Corporate charter business and consultants are also seeing more interest from customers who desire to buy carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

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

"At the end of the day, I think that rate, expense per hour, range, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) motorist. But I think people are ending up being more aware of the sustainability of operations and how it affects the world." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)