Air cargo is an essential part of modern life. It facilitates international trade, spurs economies, creates millions of jobs and helps provide access to goods worldwide. That said, it's also a huge source of CO2 emissions.

As a whole, the shipping industry produces about 940 million tons of CO2 every year. Air cargo represents roughly 2 percent of global emissions. With climate change and the effects of aviation on the environment being at the forefront, air freight networks are looking for new ways to adopt greener operations. Here are a few ways to reduce air freight emissions.

Invest in SAF

Sustainable air fuel (SAF) is one development many commercial airlines already use. SAFs are an alternative to jet fuel but have a similar chemistry. Instead of relying on fossil fuels, SAFs come from sustainable feedstocks. This can include cooking oil, animal waste, waste packaging, food scraps and more.

SAF production can reduce emissions by as much as 80 percent over the fuel lifecycle. Today, many commercial airlines are blending SAF with traditional jet fuel to reduce emissions. Using SAF to power your planes is a great step in the right direction. The hope is that SAF production will increase enough to reduce our reliance on jet fuel significantly.

Improve Your Fleet

Another way to decarbonize your air freight network is to transition to more eco-friendly aircraft. A cargo hybrid-electric aircraft can haul goods without substantial emissions. These aircraft utilize advanced propulsion systems that combine SAF and high-capacity batteries.

These aircraft can run entirely on electric power for short-range trips, resulting in a zero-emission trip. The aircraft will switch fuel sources for longer trips, but the journey will still result in more than 75 percent reduced emissions.

Prioritize Operational Efficiency

Improving your operations can also help reduce carbon emissions. Changing how you move goods can eliminate wasted trips and unnecessary emissions. One way that air freights can improve efficiency is by investing in newer VTOL cargo hybrid-electric aircraft. VTOL doesn't require airstrips.

Therefore, they can take more efficient routes. The possibilities for hybrid VTOL aircraft are endless. Air freight networks can use them to travel existing air corridors, create new ones to get goods closer to their final destination or achieve last-mile delivery service.

Author Resource:-

Jeson Clarke is providing info about sustainable aircraft making for air travel faster, smoother and more affordable than ever. You can find his thoughts at private aircraft blog.