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

Elizabeth Casillas edited this page 2025-01-12 07:08:02 +08:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's most significant industry show in Las Vegas luxury jets are drawing buyers with their streamlined shapes, plush cabins - and progressively, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are eager to showcase novel forms of aviation fuel deemed less damaging to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the definitely less glamorous meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airlines, have acquiesced environmental pressure on aviation and dedicated to halving carbon emissions by 2050 to 2005.

Their hope is that adopting sustainable fuel to curb emissions might make service jets more appealing to environmentally conscious purchasers - particularly corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.

The accessibility of less contaminating personal jets might likewise spare the abundant and famous the negative promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his other half Meghan over a current personal jet trip to southern France.

Five Gulfstream jets on display 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, chief commercial officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.

"All of our item is inedible."

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

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets represent less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions internationally, but can give off, usually, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter company Victor.

Prince Harry has actually protected his periodic usage of private jets to ensure his household's safety, and has said that on the unusual events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state incidents such as the furore over his itinerary have actually added fresh challenges for a market already making every effort to justify its contribution to cutting business costs.

"Incidents of flight shaming involving using personal jets are unfortunate when you consider that our market has actually delivered fuel efficiency improvements of 40% over the past 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier thinks increased sustainable fuel use will assist the market make inroads with corporations and wealthy buyers. According to industry data, billionaires just have a 19% company 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 visiting aircrafts - is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.

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

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

Demand from service jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far surpasses supply and their interest might drive future production, Sherbacow stated.

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

Corporate charter business and experts are likewise seeing more interest from consumers who wish to buy carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, said emissions contributed in a corporate jet usage research study his business recently completed for a Fortune 500 business.

"At the end of the day, I believe that cost, cost per hour, variety, speed and performance, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I think people are becoming more mindful of the sustainability of operations and how it affects the planet." (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)