Consider this: while business travellers comprise about 25% of the passengers on any given flight, they can constitute up to 50% of revenues or 75% of profits on certain routes.

Consequently, any conversation about #sustainabletravel would, by default, centre around the business traveller.

Shashank Nigam ✈ sat down with Nora Lovell Marchant, Esq., VP Global Sustainability at American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT), to discuss how the company is preparing for a net zero future through various initiatives such as a blockchain-powered Sustainable Aviation Fuel platform, an independently verified carbon offsetting programme and more.

Some of the things they talked about:

• The business travel sector and its impact
• Building a blockchain-based SAF platform
• Frequent flyer tax, demand management and carbon pricing
• How to make business travel more sustainable
• Personal accountability and big-picture thinking
• The mitigation hierarchy and how to think about carbon offsets
• What will business travel look like in 2030?

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Even though it’s only a small part of the aviation sustainability puzzle, in-flight sustainability is an increasingly important one.

That’s because of what the passenger sees and experiences. If a flight is powered by SAF, the experience is the same as if it’s powered by fossil fuels. However if recycled or non-plastic products are used on board, s/he notices.

This was a theme that came out of this year’s APEX/IFSA EXPO in Long Beach, California.

We spoke to both textiles company John Horsfall and amenity kit manufacturer FORMIA to find out how each is adding sustainability into their airline product line.

For John Horsfall that has involved a “Re-Thread” line of partially or wholly recycled textiles, while FORMIA showcased amenity kits made from a range of materials, including the experimental ‘banatex’ (made from banana leaves).

Read the article on our website.

Deal news

Saudia to purchase 100 electric jets in sustainability push (Gulf Business)

Sustainability news

FORMIA showcases a range of sustainable amenity kit products at APEX/IFSA EXPO (APEX Media)

John Horsfall and the importance of in-cabin sustainability (APEX Media)

Etihad Airways Begins Using Japanese Supplied SAF (Simple Flying)

Qatar Airways Partners with Gevo to Purchase 25 Million US Gallons of Certified Sustainable Aviation Fuel (Market Screener)

Air France-KLM makes major multi-year sustainable aviation fuel purchases (Loadstar)

How a regional airline is becoming a leader in sustainability (Phocuswire)