United Airlines (NASDAQ:UAL) has tapped Sesame Street’s Oscar the Grouch as its first Chief Trash Officer in a new consumer education campaign is designed to promote the expected benefit of using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
According to the carrier, SAF is an alternative to conventional jet fuel that is designed to reduces greenhouse gas emissions associated with air travel. SAF is being made from used cooking oil and agricultural waste, and, in the future, could be made from other feedstocks including household trash or forest waste.
United said it invested in the future production of over three billion gallons of SAF, adding this was the most of any airline in the world. To highlight its commitment to SAF, the carrier will use Oscar in a multimedia campaign to highlight sustainability while showing how waste can be used to help fuel air travel.
“United has invested in more sustainable aviation fuel production than any airline in the world, by far,” said United Chief Communications Officer Josh Earnest. “Every airline burns jet fuel to run their business, but no airline will solve climate change on its own. So United has enlisted Oscar to help us educate the traveling public of all ages about SAF and rally them to the cause of fighting climate change. From banana peels to fryer grease, Oscar is uniquely qualified to help us explain why trash could be the treasure that fuels the jets of the future.”
