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

George Grinder edited this page 2025-01-14 08:17:12 +00:00

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's greatest industry program in Las Vegas high-end jets are drawing buyers with their smooth silhouettes, luxurious cabins - and significantly, their use of alternative fuels.

Fuel manufacturers and jetmakers are eager to display unique kinds of air travel fuel considered less damaging to the climate, from used cooking oil to the noticeably less glamorous meat waste.

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

Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to suppress emissions could make company jets more attractive to environmentally mindful purchasers - specifically corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from investors or green campaign groups.

The accessibility of less contaminating private jets might also spare the abundant and well-known the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan over a current personal jet journey to southern France.

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

The most current 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 manufacturer 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 screen are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other renewable fuel blends anticipated to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets represent less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions internationally, but can produce, typically, as much as 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal Victor.

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

But planemakers state incidents such as the furore over his schedule have added fresh challenges for a market already making every effort to justify its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

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

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

But even an image remodeling - with jets sporting sticker labels like "this aircraft flies on renewable fuels" and organisers adding alternative fuel pumps for checking out planes - is not likely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some analysts remain skeptical that biojetfuels, typically mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a significant influence on public perceptions about luxury travel.

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

Demand from company jet operators for eco-friendly fuels now far exceeds supply and their interest could drive future production, Sherbacow stated.

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

Corporate charter companies and experts are also seeing more interest from clients who wish to buy carbon credits to balance out 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 recently completed for a Fortune 500 business.

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