Fedex aims for 30 per cent biofuel operation by 2030

Logistics giant Fedex has pledged to source almost a third of its transportation fuel, including that used by its fleet of aircraft, from second generation biofuels by 2030.

Speaking at a US Chamber of Commerce Aviation Forum last week, the company's chief executive Fred Smith launched the "30 by 30" initiative, which aims to use fuel created from non-food feedstocks such as jatropha and switchgrass. Smith, who has already pledged to cut a fifth of the company's greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, said that it would also derive 30 per cent of its fuel from biofuels by 2030.

"For a long period of time, the company has concentrated on ways to become more efficient, and to burn less fuel per unit of transport, and that was just good economics as far as the company was concerned," Smith said in a presentation. "Over the last decade it has become a greater issue for Fedex and human kind, to have a more environmentally sustainable economy."

The target is the latest in a series of high profile environmental commitments from the aviation industry, which is increasingly hopeful that biofuels could provide it with a means of curbing its giant carbon footprint. A number of leading firms, including Boeing, Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand, have recently undertaken successful test flights using biofuels and experts are confident that jet fuels based on second generation feed stocks could be successfully commercialised over the next few decades.

Ethanol has been produced from edible feedstock for some time, but the process has angered many green groups who argues that food should not be used for fuel. The prospect of using non-edible feedstocks is inspiring a community of investors and researchers to explore different ways of producing fuel. However, some reservations remain about the impact so-called second generation biofuels could still have on agricultural land use.

Smith also called on governments to support its efforts to cut its carbon emissions, arguing that modernising the air traffic control systems would reduce the aviation sector's emissions by between 10 and 12 per cent. Moreover, he requested that some of the US Government's stimulus package, which was passed in February, to be put toward research and development efforts into second generation biofuels.