1

Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show

tawannarmd138 edited this page 2025-01-12 04:32:04 +00:00

By Allison Lampert

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

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are keen to showcase unique forms of aviation fuel considered less hazardous to the environment, from used cooking oil to the clearly less glamorous meat waste.

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

Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to curb emissions could make organization jets more attractive to ecologically mindful buyers - specifically corporations facing questions over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.

The schedule of less contaminating private jets might also spare the rich and famous the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan over a current private jet trip to southern France.

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

The most current waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are byproducts of the food industry," stated Bryan Sherbacow, primary industrial officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.

"All of our item is inedible."

A few of the other 79 airplane on display screen are expected 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 total yearly carbon emissions internationally, but can give off, on average, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter company Victor.

Prince Harry has safeguarded his occasional use of private jets to ensure his household's security, and has said that on the unusual events he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers state occurrences such as the furore over his itinerary have included fresh difficulties for a market currently making every effort to validate its contribution to cutting business expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming involving making use of personal jets are regrettable when you consider that our industry has actually delivered 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 information, billionaires just have a 19% business jet ownership rate.

But even an image makeover - with jets sporting stickers like "this airplane flies on sustainable fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for going to planes - is unlikely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some experts stay hesitant that biojetfuels, usually blended 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial impact on public understandings about luxury travel.

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

Demand from organization jet operators for sustainable fuels now far goes beyond supply and their interest might drive future production, Sherbacow stated.

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

Corporate charter business and specialists are also seeing more interest from customers who want 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 business jet utilization research study his just recently completed for a Fortune 500 company.

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