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  1. Congratulations John for a wonderful leadership position and view on this. I truly think there is a multidimensional discussion/debate to develop over sustainability and climate.

    It affects every part of the industry ecosystem — SAF producer/fuel supplier, principal (e.g., airline), distribution intermediary/channel, corporate and end traveller. Add to that the corporate client budget holder, the C-suite and their responsibility to sustainability (and the subtle position of the CFO to argue it has a role to play to reduce travel budgets from increasing from their recent lows), plus the increased global traveller awareness of sustainability actions and a post-Trump world of climate realism.

    The situation leads airlines (should) to want to market their sustainability initiatives and credentials — particularly in an environment of government-based incentives or disincentives, and the complexity of how the ecosystem from SAF producer through airline, via TMC channel (or direct) and to corporate travel responsibility and travel policy to the push/pull of traveller behaviour. It’s a massive current and ongoing subject which must be tackled NOW!

    Furthermore, we have COP26 on the horizon — will the attendees seize the opportunity to arrive using a marketing opportunity to trumpet arriving under an SAF-operated or funded flight? The G8 was a missed opportunity in this respect — is COP26 going to go the same way?

    One issue/challenge that John and I have discussed is the players in the ecosystem have little idea how to build a story and commercial proposition around this. I challenge The Company Dime to help, along with other media players such as CAPA. How about creating an “ideas challenge” to establish “how to create an industry ecosystem commercial and marketing proposition”?

    And, challenge attendees of COP26 to “arrive sustainably”! As John points out, the flight they’re on doesn’t have to be operated by SAF, just funded. We have the chance to create industry standard definitions — “I flew/fly on SAF operated flight/s” or “I flew/fly on SAF fully funded flight/s.” It could become part of a corporate client travel policy and annual sustainability credential reporting…

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