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

Wilhelmina Falcon edited this page 2025-01-12 19:12:19 +08:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's greatest market show in Las Vegas high-end jets are enticing buyers with their sleek shapes, luxurious cabins - and significantly, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are keen to showcase unique forms of air travel fuel considered less harmful to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the definitely less attractive meat waste.

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

Their hope is that embracing eco-friendly fuel to curb emissions might make organization jets more attractive to environmentally conscious buyers - especially corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from investors or green project groups.

The availability of less polluting personal jets could also spare the rich and popular the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan over a recent personal jet trip 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 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 aircraft on display screen are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel blends anticipated to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total yearly carbon emissions worldwide, but can discharge, usually, as much as 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter firm Victor.

has actually defended his occasional usage of private jets to ensure his household's security, and has actually 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 included fresh obstacles for a market already aiming to validate its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming including using private jets are regrettable when you consider that our industry has delivered fuel performance 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 rich buyers. According to industry data, billionaires only have a 19% service jet ownership rate.

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting stickers like "this aircraft flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for checking out aircrafts - is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some analysts remain hesitant that biojetfuels, generally blended 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant effect on public understandings about high-end travel.

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

Demand from company jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far goes beyond supply and their interest could 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 customers who wish to purchase 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 business jet usage study his company recently finished for a Fortune 500 business.

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