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

Lucinda Paul edited this page 2025-01-14 13:21:33 +00:00

By Allison Lampert

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

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are eager to showcase novel forms of air travel fuel considered less harmful to the environment, from utilized cooking oil to the noticeably less glamorous meat waste.

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

Their hope is that embracing renewable fuel to curb emissions might make organization jets more appealing to ecologically conscious purchasers - especially corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from investors or green campaign groups.

The availability of less polluting personal jets might also spare the abundant and popular the negative publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan over a current private jet journey to southern France.

Five Gulfstream jets on display in Las Vegas are using California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.

The most recent waste-based fuels consist of "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food market," stated Bryan Sherbacow, chief business 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 aircraft on display are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel blends expected to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets represent less than 0.1% of total yearly carbon emissions globally, but can give off, usually, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has actually defended his periodic use of personal jets to guarantee his household's security, and has said that on the uncommon events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state occurrences such as the furore over his travel plan have actually added fresh challenges for an industry already striving to justify its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming including the usage of private jets are regrettable when you think about that our industry has provided fuel performance improvements of 40% over the previous 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

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

But even an image - with jets sporting stickers like "this airplane flies on renewable fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for checking out airplanes - is unlikely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet event.

Environmentalists and some experts stay skeptical that biojetfuels, normally combined 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant effect on public understandings about luxury travel.

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

Demand from company 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 up to 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter companies and specialists are also seeing more interest from clients 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 business jet usage study his business recently completed for a Fortune 500 company.

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