Richard Branson, the international entrepreneur and founder of the Carbon War Room, an organization with a mission to fight emissions, recently upped the ante by adding to Virgin Atlantic’s current aim of 30% carbon reductions per passenger kilometer by 2020, to 50% sustainable fuel use by 2020.

In October 2011, Virgin Atlantic, LanzaTech Biofuels, and Swedish Biofuels revealed in a press release the development of a “world-first low carbon aviation fuel with just half the carbon footprint of the standard fossil fuel”. On first reading, this statement seemed almost too good to be true, how could it be possible that a fuel has been produced that produces one half of the carbon footprint of the current standard fossil fuel alternative? Well, through ‘incubation’ and ‘promotion’ of scientific discovery and acceleration of development of their findings, these climate conscious pioneers have evolved a clever technique to collect waste gases from industrial steel production, ferment it, and chemically convert it, with the help of Swedish Biofuels nouse, into jet fuel.

Meeting this new 50% target might seem like a long shot, but Branson argued this week that replacing standard jet fuels, or at least taking a large chunk out of their usage, should be relatively simple for two seemingly rational reasons. Firstly, with particular regard to Virgin ‘s  alternative fuel production strategy, it is possible to apply the technique to around 65% of world steel mills, furthermore the process can also apply to metals processing and chemical industries, growing its potential considerably further. It would perhaps be optimistic to conceive that the aviation industry could rely on the steel and chemicals, however Branson’s second reason focuses on the current prolific developments in biofuels. A combination of the two shows extraordinary potential to meet the 50% target. Furthermore, Branson believes it would be a walk down the runway to deliver these sustainable fuels, as there are only around 1,700 aircraft filling stations  (otherwise known as airports) around the world.