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

Ellen Handt edited this page 1 week ago

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) - At the world's biggest market show in Las Vegas high-end jets are drawing purchasers with their smooth shapes, plush cabins - and progressively, their usage of alternative fuels.

Fuel producers and jetmakers are eager to showcase unique types of air travel fuel considered less hazardous to the climate, from used cooking oil to the noticeably less glamorous meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airline companies, have actually bowed to environmental pressure on air travel and committed to halving carbon emissions by 2050 compared with 2005.

Their hope is that embracing renewable fuel to curb emissions could make business jets more appealing to environmentally mindful buyers - particularly corporations dealing with questions over sustainability from investors or green project groups.

The availability 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 trip to southern France.

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

The current waste-based fuels include "fats, grease and oils that are by-products of the food industry," said Bryan Sherbacow, chief commercial 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 aircraft on display are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel mixes anticipated to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions internationally, but can give off, typically, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per guest mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter company Victor.

Prince Harry has actually protected his periodic usage of personal jets to ensure his household'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 travel plan have actually added fresh difficulties for an industry already aiming to justify its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming including using personal jets are unfortunate when you think about that our industry has actually delivered fuel effectiveness improvements of 40% over the previous 40 years," stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

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

But even an image transformation - with jets sporting stickers like "this aircraft flies on eco-friendly fuels" and organisers including alternative fuel pumps for visiting airplanes - is unlikely to satisfy all critics at the Oct 22-24 high-end jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some analysts remain skeptical that biojetfuels, generally blended 50-50 with kerosene, will make a considerable influence on public understandings about luxury travel.

"No amount of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make service jets look eco-friendly," stated air travel analyst Richard Aboulafia.

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

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

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

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, said emissions played a role in a business jet utilization research study his company recently completed for a Fortune 500 company.

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