Sustainable Aviation Challenge: Top corporates launch new green aviation initiative
Length: • 2 mins
Annotated by Marc Chasserot
Marc Chasserot: Salesforce, Deloitte, Breakthrough Energy, JetBlue Ventures, Qantas Airways Limited, and World Energy have launched the Sustainable Aviation Challenge, which aims to find innovative solutions to reduce emissions from the global aviation industry. The challenge will accept proposals online from August 17 to September 25, and the top innovators will be announced later in the year. The challenge aims to support the goals of the First Movers Coalition, a joint initiative between the World Economic Forum and the US Department of State, to accelerate the deployment of emerging technologies for hard-to-decarbonise industries such as aviation, chemicals, and shipping.
A number of leading multinationals including Salesforce, Deloitte, and Breakthrough Energy have today joined forces to launch a new challenge, which calls on entrepreneurs to submit innovative solutions to slash emissions from the global aviation industry.
Dubbed 'The Sustainable Aviation Challenge', the initiative aims to support the development of solutions which can help decarbonise air travel, including advancements in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and zero emission aircraft.
The industry leaders behind the challenge, which also include JetBlue Ventures, Qantas Airways Limited, and World Energy, said the challenge supports the goals of the First Movers Coalition (FMC) - a joint initiative which was launched in 2021 between the World Economic Forum (WEF) and the US Department of State.
FMC's goal is to accelerate the development and deployment of emerging technologies for hard-to-decarbonise industries such as aviation, aluminium, chemicals, concrete, shipping, steel, and trucking, which together account for more than one-third of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. The coalition brings together leading corporates that have publicly committed to purchasing green products and services from carbon intensive industries.
The Sustainable Aviation Challenge aims to support this goal and is accepting proposals online from August 17 through September 25, with the "top innovators" to be announced later in the year.
These "top innovators" will benefit from the World Economic Forum (WEF) and UpLink network in brand building, visibility, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities, the companies behind the challenge said.
The industry leaders behind the challenge said the effort will prioritise collaboration between innovators and leaders in sustainable aviation to support the growth, commercialisation, and deployment of novel solutions.
"To meet our climate goals, we must bring disruptive clean technologies to market at scale," said Suzanne DiBianca, chief impact officer at Salesforce. "Together with our partners, Salesforce thoughtfully approached this sustainability challenge as a way to support and foster innovative ideas from ecopreneurs who aim to help decarbonize the aviation industry."
Stephen Snyder, managing partner at JetBlue Ventures, said the company was "thrilled" to support the challenge.
"This initiative resonates with our commitment to driving innovation in aviation sustainability and unlocking groundbreaking solutions that will reshape the future of air travel," he added.
Salesforce said it first joined FMC in 2021 as a founding member company with an initial commitment to replace five per cent of the company's annual business travel jet fuel usage with no and low carbon alternatives by 2030.
In support of the Sustainable Aviation Challenge, Salesforce said it has also purchased SAF from World Energy and from United Airlines as part of the EcoSkies Alliance and from JetBlue as part of the Sustainable Travel Partners programme.
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