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Clean Getaway: Meat Waste Joins Biofuels At Luxury Jet Show

By Allison Lampert

LAS VEGAS, Oct 22 (Reuters) – At the world’s most significant market program in Las Vegas high-end jets are luring purchasers with their smooth silhouettes, plush cabins – and significantly, their use of alternative fuels.

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

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

Their hope is that adopting eco-friendly fuel to curb emissions might make company jets more attractive to ecologically mindful purchasers – particularly corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from shareholders or green campaign groups.

The schedule of less contaminating private jets might also spare the abundant and well-known the negative 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 screen in Las Vegas are utilizing California-produced fuel from inedible beef tallow.

The current waste-based fuels include “fats, grease and oils that are by-products of the food market,” stated Bryan Sherbacow, chief industrial officer of Boston-based biofuel manufacturer World Energy, which produces fuel from meat waste used by Gulfstream.

“All of our product is inedible.”

Some of the other 79 aircraft on display are anticipated to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other sustainable fuel blends anticipated to be pumped at the show.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions globally, but can give off, usually, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per traveler mile than jetliners, according to the London-based personal charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has actually safeguarded his periodic use of personal jets to guarantee his household’s safety, and has stated that on the uncommon celebrations he does not fly commercially he offsets his emissions.

But planemakers say events such as the furore over his itinerary have actually added fresh challenges for an industry currently striving to justify its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

“Incidents of flight shaming including the usage of private jets are regrettable when you consider that our market has actually provided fuel efficiency enhancements of 40% over the previous 40 years,” stated Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel usage will assist the market make inroads with corporations and rich purchasers. According to market information, billionaires just have a 19% business 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 going to aircrafts – is not likely to please all critics at the Oct 22-24 luxury jet occasion.

Environmentalists and some experts remain hesitant that biojetfuels, usually blended 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial effect on public perceptions about high-end travel.

“No amount of Jatropha or Brazil-nut fuel can make organization jets look eco-friendly,” said aviation expert Richard Aboulafia.

Demand from service 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, might expand production approximately 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and experts are also seeing more interest from customers who want to purchase carbon credits to offset emissions from their flights.

Brian Proctor, CEO of Mente Group, a U.S. consultancy, stated emissions contributed in a business jet usage research study his company recently finished for a Fortune 500 .

“At the end of the day, I think that cost, expense per hour, variety, speed and performance, that’s still the (sales) chauffeur. But I think individuals are ending up being more mindful of the sustainability of operations and how it impacts the planet.” (Reporting By Allison Lampert, Editing by Tim Hepher and Alexandra Hudson)