Sustainable aviation fuel supplied by industry leader SkyNRG
signals new approach for business travel
SEATTLE and REDMOND, Wash., Oct.
22, 2020 /CNW/ -- Microsoft Corp. employees
who fly between their global headquarters in
Redmond,
Washington, and California on Alaska Airlines
will fly more sustainably thanks to the use of
sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to cover their business travel. The
SAF, supplied by SkyNRG, is an important option for the aviation
industry to reduce CO2 emissions on a life-cycle basis.
This first U.S. partnership of its kind is a model for other
companies and organizations committed to reducing the environmental
impact of business air travel.
The agreement applies to CO2 emissions from Microsoft
employee travel between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
to San Francisco International
Airport, San Jose International
Airport, and Los Angeles
International Airport — the three most popular routes traveled by
Microsoft employees on Alaska Airlines. Under a separate
partnership agreement, Microsoft will purchase
SAF credits from SkyNRG, and the SAF will be delivered to
the airport fueling system used by Alaska Airlines. The
companies will explore expanding the program in the future.
"After a decade advancing sustainable aviation fuel, this
partnership marks a significant milestone in the work to make SAF a
commercially-viable aviation fuel alternative," said Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Airlines. "SAF
enables us to fly cleaner and reduce our impact on the
environment. However, we cannot do this alone — we must work
together with other industries and business leaders like Microsoft
and SkyNRG, among others who are thinking big, to achieve our goals
and grow the marketplace for SAF."
"We are excited to partner with Alaska Airlines to make business
air travel a little greener by using sustainable aviation fuel
supplied by SkyNRG to reduce the carbon impact of the flights
Microsoft employees fly most," said Judson Althoff, executive vice president of
Microsoft's Worldwide Commercial Business. "We hope this
sustainable aviation fuel model will be used by other companies as
a way to reduce the environmental impact of their
business travel."
Microsoft, Alaska Airlines and SkyNRG hope this partnership sets
an example for other companies and organizations to
purchase SAF, and support the development of the SAF industry
by creating a stable demand signal, increasing supply and
reducing the cost of SAF. The three companies are also supporting
the development of a global environmental accounting standard for
voluntary corporate SAF purchases through their participation in a
pilot project of the World Economic Forum's Clean Skies for
Tomorrow initiative. The companies plan to hold supplier and
corporate forums to share learnings and increase interest in using
SAF to lower the carbon emissions from business travel.
Alaska Airlines is one of the most fuel-efficient airlines in
the U.S. with a strong commitment to sustainability. It was among
the first airlines to use SAF in passenger travel, flying nearly 80
flights over the past 10 years. With a fuel-efficient fleet and use
of modern technology in the flight deck, Alaska Airlines has
reduced its intensity target of greenhouse gas emissions by 16%
since 2012. Learn more about the partnership at
https://blog.alaskaair.com/company-news/fly-greener/alaska-microsoft-reducing-carbon-footprint/.
Microsoft has ambitious sustainability goals, including a
commitment to be carbon negative by 2030 and remove from the
environment more carbon than they have emitted since its founding
by 2050. The purchase and use of SAF contributes to the company's
sustainability goals.
For more than a decade SkyNRG has led the development in
creating a SAF market, taking a no-compromise approach to
sustainability. Replacing fossil jet fuels with SAF is what SkyNRG
aims for, guaranteeing social and environmental sustainability
throughout the supply chain.
"The emergence of a SAF production system and market is a
once-in-a-century opportunity to launch a new energy source for an
entire industry, guided by strong sustainability standards from day
one," said Theye Veen, managing director, SkyNRG. "We are very
pleased to be joined by leading companies Microsoft and
Alaska Airlines in this next step."
As part of Microsoft's partnership agreement with SkyNRG,
Microsoft will become the newest member of Board Now, a coalition
of leading companies that aims to accelerate the transition to
sustainable air travel. Organizations commit to reducing
carbon emissions from flying and directly contribute to the
development of new SAF production capacity.
Background on sustainable aviation fuel
Rather than being refined from petroleum, SAF is generally
produced from sustainable resources, like waste oils and
agricultural residues. It can even be produced from carbon captured
from the air. SAF is an important solution for the aviation
industry to reduce CO2 emissions and can also contribute
to other positive social and environmental benefits, such as job
creation and biodiversity. SAF results in a reduction in
carbon emissions across its lifecycle. The SAF supplied by SkyNRG
under this agreement is produced in the U.S. by World Energy using
waste oils and delivers a carbon reduction of approximately 75%
compared with fossil jet fuel. SkyNRG guarantees the sustainability
of the fuel it supplies through its certification from the
Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB), the most complete and
robust standard for verification of sustainable practices, and its
independent Sustainability Board, which includes representatives
from WWF International, the European Climate Foundation,
Solidaridad Network and the University of Groningen.
About Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines and its regional partners serve more than 115
destinations across the United
States and North America,
providing essential air service for our guests along with moving
crucial cargo shipments, such as food, medicine, mail and
e-commerce deliveries. With hubs in Seattle; San
Francisco; Los Angeles;
Portland, Oregon; and Anchorage, Alaska, the airline is known for
low fares, award-winning customer service and sustainability
efforts. With Alaska and its
Global Partners, guests can earn and redeem miles on flights to
more than 800 destinations worldwide. Learn more about Alaska at newsroom.alaskaair.com and
blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are
subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).
About SkyNRG
SkyNRG is the pioneer and global leader for sustainable aviation
fuel. Having supplied over 30 airlines on all continents, it is
SkyNRG's mission to make SAF the new global standard, driven
by sustainable practices throughout the supply chain. Further
information can be found on: www.skynrg.com and
www.boardnow.org.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) enables digital
transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an
intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every
organization on the planet to achieve more.
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SOURCE Microsoft Corporation; Alaska Airlines