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

Angelo Vanatta edited this page 2025-01-12 10:32:51 +08:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest industry program in Las Vegas luxury jets are tempting buyers with their smooth shapes, luxurious cabins - and progressively, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to display unique types of aviation fuel deemed less hazardous to the climate, from utilized cooking oil to the definitely less glamorous meat waste.

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

Their hope is that embracing eco-friendly fuel to suppress emissions might make company jets more appealing to environmentally mindful purchasers - particularly corporations facing concerns over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.

The availability of less polluting personal jets could also spare the rich and popular the unfavorable promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his wife 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 latest waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food industry," said Bryan Sherbacow, chief commercial officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste utilized by Gulfstream.

"All of our item is inedible."

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

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets represent less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions worldwide, but can produce, on average, as much as 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 private jets to guarantee his family's safety, and has actually said that on the uncommon events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say events such as the furore over his schedule have included fresh difficulties for a market currently aiming to justify its contribution to cutting business costs.

"Incidents of flight shaming including making use of private jets are unfortunate when you think about that our market has provided fuel effectiveness enhancements of 40% over the past 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

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

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting stickers like "this airplane flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers including pumps for visiting airplanes - is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet event.

Environmentalists and some experts stay hesitant that biojetfuels, usually mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a considerable influence on public perceptions about luxury travel.

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

Demand from service jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far exceeds 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 up to 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter companies and experts are also seeing more interest from customers who wish to purchase carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

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

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