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Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show

murielvandiver edited this page 2025-01-12 12:42:05 +01:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest industry show in Las Vegas luxury jets are enticing buyers with their streamlined silhouettes, luxurious cabins - and significantly, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are eager to display novel forms of air travel fuel deemed less damaging to the environment, from used cooking oil to the clearly less attractive meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airlines, have acquiesced ecological pressure on air travel and devoted to cutting in half carbon emissions by 2050 compared to 2005.

Their hope is that embracing sustainable fuel to suppress emissions might make organization jets more appealing to ecologically conscious buyers - especially corporations facing concerns over sustainability from investors or green campaign groups.

The accessibility of less polluting personal jets could likewise spare the abundant and famous the negative promotion experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his better over a recent private jet journey to southern France.

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

The most recent waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are by-products of the food market," said Bryan Sherbacow, primary business officer of Boston-based biofuel producer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.

"All of our product 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 blends expected to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of total yearly carbon emissions internationally, but can emit, on average, up to 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter company Victor.

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

But planemakers say occurrences such as the furore over his itinerary have included fresh obstacles for an industry already making every effort to validate its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming involving using private jets are regrettable when you consider that our market has actually provided fuel performance enhancements of 40% over the previous 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel usage will help the industry make inroads with corporations and wealthy purchasers. According to industry data, billionaires only have a 19% organization jet ownership rate.

But even an image makeover - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this airplane flies on sustainable 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 event.

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

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

Demand from service jet operators for renewable fuels now far exceeds supply and their interest could drive future production, Sherbacow said.

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

Corporate charter companies and consultants are also seeing more interest from clients who want to purchase 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 usage research study his business just recently finished for a Fortune 500 business.

"At the end of the day, I believe that rate, cost per hour, variety, speed and efficiency, that's still the (sales) chauffeur. But I believe 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)