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

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

Fuel producers and jetmakers are keen to showcase novel kinds of deemed less harmful to the climate, from utilized cooking oil to the distinctly less glamorous meat waste.

Business jet operators, like airlines, have acquiesced environmental pressure on aviation and committed to cutting in half 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 conscious purchasers - particularly corporations dealing with concerns over sustainability from shareholders or green project groups.

The availability of less polluting private jets could likewise spare the abundant and popular the unfavorable publicity experienced by Britain's Prince Harry and his partner Meghan over a recent personal jet journey to southern France.

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

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

"All of our product is inedible."

Some of the other 79 airplane on display are expected to be powered by 150,000 gallons of other eco-friendly fuel blends anticipated to be pumped at the program.

FLIGHT SHAMING

Private jets account for less than 0.1% of overall annual carbon emissions worldwide, but can emit, typically, approximately 20 times more carbon emissions per passenger mile than jetliners, according to the London-based private charter firm Victor.

Prince Harry has actually protected his occasional usage of personal jets to guarantee his family's safety, and has said that on the unusual celebrations 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 an industry currently striving to validate its contribution to cutting corporate expenses.

"Incidents of flight shaming involving the usage of personal jets are regrettable when you think about that our industry has provided fuel performance enhancements of 40% over the previous 40 years," said Bombardier Aviation President David Coleal.

Bombardier believes increased sustainable fuel usage will assist the industry make inroads with corporations and wealthy buyers. According to market data, billionaires just have a 19% service jet ownership rate.

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

Environmentalists and some experts stay doubtful that biojetfuels, normally mixed 50-50 with kerosene, will make a substantial effect on public perceptions about luxury travel.

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

Demand from company jet operators for sustainable 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, could expand production up to 150 million gallons by 2022.

Corporate charter business and consultants are also seeing more interest from consumers who wish to purchase carbon credits to balance out emissions from their flights.

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

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