Successful Aviation Decarbonisation Through SAF & Innovations
Day 2 : 13:55 – 14:45
Aviation is one of the hard-to-abate sectors because of the use of carbon intensive jet fuel without alternatives. With the latest technological advancement, lower-carbon Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is considered the most feasible solution in near- to medium-term. However, Maximising the decarbonisation potential of SAF requires collaboration between sectors in the supply chain, and the policy incentives from the Government to make the business environment favourable to the uptake of SAF. Aside from SAF, industry stakeholders are also exploring other technological and systemic innovations to decarbonise aviation. This session will discuss such innovations and how to strengthen SAF development in Hong Kong.
Learnings
- What are the current climate challenges perceived by the aviation industry?
- How do other regions do to promote the uptake of SAF?
- What are the other technological and systematic innovations that are promising for aviation decarbonisation ?
- How can we take a step further to make Hong Kong aviation more sustainable, in the context of regulation, finance mechanism, supply and demand, SAF positioning in holistic HK context?
Post-event Actions
- Adopt practices to support the aviation sectors to make wider use of SAF a reality in Hong Kong.
- Strengthen Hong Kong’s position as sustainable aviation hub through innovative decarbonisation initiatives.
Speakers
Moderator
Merlin Lao
Head – Policy & Research
Merlin Lao
Head – Policy & Research
Mr. Merlin Lao is Head of Policy & Research at BEC. He leads the team to share develop clear policy positions on pressing climate and environmental topics in Hong Kong, through undertaking research on latest domestic and international trends, engaging with the Hong Kong SAR Government and connecting insights of the local business sector.
My Sustainability Goals for 2023:
Mainstream circular economy actions along all value chain processes.
Grace Cheung
General Manager Sustainability
Cathay Pacific
Grace Cheung
Cathay Pacific
General Manager Sustainability
Grace Cheung is the General Manager of Group Sustainability Department at Cathay Pacific. Since taking up her role in 2017, Grace has turned sustainability from a standalone specialist function to an integrated strategic and operational imperative in the airline group.
During Grace’s tenure, Cathay Pacific has committed for its net zero carbon emissions goal by 2050, supported by its mid-term target for using 10% sustainable aviation fuel(SAF) by 2030. The airline group is a founding member of Hong Kong Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition (HKSAFC)in 2024 and has also launched the first major Corporate SAF Programme in Asia in 2022. The airline has also cut more than 50% of its inflight single-use plastics (SUP) in 2023 compared to 2018.
Grace represents the airline in a number of industry working groups devoted to sustainability and environmental issues, including the ones at International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Oneworld Alliance.
My Sustainability Goals for 2024:
1. HK Government releases a more concrete policy to support SAF deployment in HK without negative impact on the competitiveness of HK’s role of international aviation hub.
2. The awareness of importance of SAF from the public is enhanced.
Sarah Lang
Chief of Staff/ Sustainability Representative APAC
Lufthansa Group
Sarah Lang
Lufthansa Group
Chief of Staff/ Sustainability Representative APAC
Sarah works as Chief of Staff and sustainability Representative for Lufthansa Group in APAC. She has more than 10 years of experience in International Consulting and Mobility Start-ups focusing on, Digital Transformation and Sustainability Strategy.