Stimulating Sustainable Biofuels

Although the aviation industry currently generates approximately 2 to 3 percent of man-made greenhouse gas emissions, this figure is expected to rise over the coming decades due to the increasing number of people traveling by plane.

Air France - KLM takes measures to improve its fuel efficiency, and thus reduce its carbon footprint. Since the beginning of its Climate Action plan in 2007, its fuel consumption has dropped to 3.45 liters per passenger per 100 km. To complete its efforts and better understand the impact of its business, Air France - KLM supports research and innovation, and focuses particularly on biofuels.

Sustainable biofuels constitute the most effective measure to reduce air transport’s carbon footprint. Air France - KLM provides support for research and contributes to the emergence of an international market for sustainable aviation biofuels that are environmentally friendly and which positively impact economic and social development.

Air France - KLM development

Air France and KLM support regulatory incentives stimulating the biofuel market. Both airlines have been participating in ICAO's Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) and European Commission Biofuel FlightPath 2020 internationally. The FlighPath aims to reach an annual production of 2 million tons of sustainably produced biofuel for aviation by 2020. In France, the Ini-FCA (Future Alternative Fuels Initiative), led by the French Civil Aviation Authority, is working toward the production of 200,000 tons of biofuel by 2020.

The Dutch Government and KLM have signed a Green Deal for the 2011 - 2015 period to increase the demand for sustainable biofuels and shift from single projects to continuous supply of sustainable biofuels for The Netherlands and Europe. To achieve this ambition, KLM was one of the initiators of BioPort Holland and collaborates with the Dutch government, Neste Oil, the Port of Rotterdam, SkyNRG, and Schiphol Airport
to scale-up production of sustainable jet fuels in The Netherlands. This seven-year initiative won the Sustainable Bio Award for best collaboration of the year in 2014.

Since June 2012, KLM has been the first airline in the world to enable corporate customers to become partners in the KLM Corporate BioFuel Program, and to meet part of their travel needs with biofuelpowered flights. The 15 partners confirm their leadership and actively contribute to the development of a market for sustainable aviation biofuels. In 2014, new partners joined the program, including the City of Amsterdam, Friesland Campina, Perfetti van Melle, and Ricoh. The Dutch government announced it would join the KLM Corporate BioFuel Program to incentivize the biofuel market.

Lab’line for the future

Beginning in September 2014 and continuing for one year, Air France launched its Lab’line for the future project, and operates a weekly flight between Toulouse and Paris-Orly using biofuel. These flights are operated by an Airbus A321 powered with a sustainable biofuel, whose processing has been certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterial (RSB), the most demanding organization in this sector. Also the potential risks in the supply chain of the sourced sugarcane are checked by an independent risk assessment, based on the relevant criteria from RSB. Therefore, Air France can ensure that the production of its biofuel does not compete with the food production industry, or adversely affect biodiversity, water, or earth – and also that it respects human rights and labor rights. Biofuels reduce greenhouse gas emissions
by up to 80 percent in comparison to fossil fuels. As commercial aviation has no alternative to liquid fuels for the next 40 years, biofuels are the most effective solution for the transition to renewable energies. With this commitment, Air France also demonstrates the national interest of France in creating an aviation biofuel sector.

Raising awareness about responsible air travel

Innovation and partnerships are keys for ensuring a more responsible future. As a leader in sustainable development, Air France associated 14 of its partners with the Lab’line project. It gives them the opportunity to showcase their innovations for more responsible travel during the flight. In addition to the use of biofuels, Lab’line for the future is an informative project. Passengers have the chance to meet with engineers and
experts during special events and ask them any question they might have on sustainable topics. Moreover, specific themes are developed every two months.

For example, the company’s efforts in waste reduction and valorization have been presented to passengers. Beyond recycling, Air France favors eco-design approaches, which take the entire lifecycle into account when introducing new products. It is also working with various partners to promote circular-economy initiatives in the area surrounding Paris - Charles De Gaulle Airport. CO2 emissions due to travel are not only linked to flights, but also to passengers’ and employees’ journeys to the airport. Air France’s actions to enhance eco-mobility solutions, such as public transportation or car-sharing, will be also presented to foster their utilization. To broaden its audience, Lab’line is supported by an awareness-building campaign, including a web series.

By developing this project, Air France demonstrates its commitment to increasing knowledge about the environmental effects of air transport.

Continuing biofuel flights: starting European ITAKA program

As part of the European ITAKA project, and supported by Climate KIC, KLM launched new series of biofuel flights on May 2014. Over the course of six months, weekly flights between Amsterdam, Aruba, and Bonaire were operated with an Airbus A330-200 powered by sustainable biofuel. KLM and the independent Sustainability Board from SkyNRG checked the potential risks in the supply chain of the feedstock, based on RSB criteria. The series were kick-started with a visit by a delegation to Aruba and Bonaire. These destinations were a logical fit because both islands have sustainability high on their political agendas. With KLM’s help, Aruba has set the Green Aruba Challenge to find promising solutions that can help to improve the island’s sustainability. The challenge was won by The Land Life Box, which enables plants to grow on degraded soils and in hot and arid climates.

Air France and KLM will continue to stimulate the market of sustainable biofuels in order to create a continuous supply and lower the cost. Together with their partners in Lab'line and in the Corporate BioFuel Program, they support new supply chain routes and the European ITAKA program. Jointly with the industry and stakeholders, Air France-KLM will make next steps in developing a more sustainable airline industry.