Reducing the sector’s carbon footprint

Air BP, BP’s aviation division, has grown rapidly over the past few years.  Now, the focus is on renewable energy and reducing carbon footprints for customers. Air BP General Manager Miguel Moreno spoke about current projects and goals for the future.

At Air BP, we’ve been asking ourselves one question that forms our decision-making: how can airports and operators reduce their carbon footprint? While creating a carbon footprint is unavoidable, we can help customers reduce their footprint and offset it with carbon credits.

We have a program that we call Target Neutral, which offers customers the chance to make a difference by working with BP’s experts. Since 2006, Target Neutral has staffed an advisory panel of leading experts to monitor its work and to help look at ways for customers to reduce their carbon footprint through carbon efficient fuels and smarter energy choices.

Community focused

Target Neutral helps customers calculate the total emissions associated with their travel and then offset them with a carbon credit, or payment, that supports Target Neutral projects. We want to make sure our customers know they’re having a positive effect on the environment, as well as providing a social and economic benefit, so we only buy the best-in-class carbon credits. We follow the internationally recognized ICROA Code of Best Practice. More so, because Target Neutral is non-profit, it’s cheaper for customers and they can rest assured all of their money goes directly to support low carbon development projects that actually make a difference.

For example, we have a fuel-switching project in Brazil. The project has substituted the use of native wood from the Caatinga biome for a mix of sustainable biomass sources to power ceramic factory kilns. These biomass sources include Algaroba wood bought from local farms and sawdust from near the project site. Along with providing environmental benefits, the program provides employment, while also giving back to the community. The ceramic factory partners with the National Service for Industrial Training, which provides literacy training to employees, vaccinations, transportation, dental care, and other health services. The project also partners with the Agreste Region’s Children Cancer Institute and the Criança Cidadā Orchestra, which promotes music and language care for children.

Looking forward

As Air BP grows, we hope to give back even more. Currently, Air BP is one of the world’s largest suppliers of aviation fuel products and services, and we’re growing faster than ever. We grew from 600 locations in 2013 to 700 in 2014, now working in more than 50 countries. In 2014, we fueled more than 6,000 flights per day.

We’re expanding rapidly, and not just in airports, but also with operators. Our customers include commercial airlines, aircraft operators, helicopter operators, business jet operators, private pilots, the military, FBOs, aviation authorities, and more.

As we grow, we’re trying to make deals with FBOs and flight planning companies. In October of last year, we signed a Letter of Intent with RocketRoute to help provide their customers with information about fuel purchasing as part of the overall flight planning process. The pilot or flight department will be able to access any information relating to fuel uptake while they’re creating the overall flight plan, saving time and boosting efficiency for everyone involved. We hope to support more innovative startups like RocketRoute in the future.

Air BP is growing fast, but our goal is consistent. We aim to enable customers to achieve their lower carbon goals in a simple, cost-effective way. We believe that by using more biofuels, we can help the world reduce global greenhouse gas levels, which would have both an immediate and lasting impact.