To promote initiatives from multiple angles to take steps towards sustainability, in a context with incentives to advance in this direction and with a global vision that also focuses action on the local level. This is the formula for a more sustainable future proposed from their respective positions by the CEO of Vueling, Carolina Martinoli; the CEO of Cellnex, Marco Patuano; and the CEO of the Zurich group in Europe, Middle East and Africa, Alison Martin, at the annual meeting organized by the Cercle d'Economia.
"We have to build resilience together, to reduce the probability and impact of the consequences of climate change," highlighted Martin, who insisted on the need to address these challenges collectively. The global head of sustainability at Zurich also believes that this collaboration should be fostered not so much at a global level, but at a local level, "to solve problems that can then be taken as examples and scaled to a more global scale."
To solve these problems, the Zurich representative proposes "incentivizing the innovation required to move towards the transition," and viewing the transformation of the economy as an opportunity: "We look at the risks, but we are not scared, but rather we seek how to solve them."
Martinoli sees in the SAF industry a potential opportunity that could generate up to 58,000 million euros in SpainVueling's CEO has focused on one of these opportunities: sustainable aviation fuel, known as SAF. Despite being about 5% more expensive than the jet fuel, in 2023 "every last drop of SAF produced was sold." However, this production did not reach 1% of the fuel required by aviation, so "what is needed are policies that help scale it up." SAF, which can be obtained from urban and agricultural waste, represents a short-term option for the sector, as it does not require changes to infrastructure or aircraft.
In this regard, Martinoli sees in the SAF industry a potential opportunity that could generate up to 58,000 million euros in Spain. After recalling that Vueling is committed to using 10% SAF by 2030, above the European mandate, he has contrasted the incentive policy in the United States with that of the EU regulations: "The risk we run is that we end up being importers; what we need are more incentives for production."
"It is possible to decarbonize aviation, but it is not easy, it is not fast, it is not cheap, and we cannot do it alone," warned Martinoli, who detailed that aviation is responsible for between 2% and 3% of global emissions: "Many times there is a demonization of aviation, taking into account the economic, social and human value that the sector generates."
Administrative simplification
The CEO of Cellnex agreed in defending that "the revolution needs a large scale" and that a strategic plan be drawn up from Europe. "And Europe cannot be the homeland of rules," he maintained in a round table moderated by the board member of the Cercle Carmina Ganyet. Neither excessive rules, nor excessive procedures. "How many times have we said that we have to move towards simplification?" he inquired.
Administrative simplification and the reduction of bureaucratic burden not only shortens deadlines, but also allows reducing costs and managing resources "more intelligently," according to Patuano, who recalled that Cellnex is committed to achieving 100% green energy consumption by 2025. This commitment will imply a greater cost for the infrastructure operator since, "as incongruous as it may seem, green energy is more expensive than non-green energy," he remarked, pointing to another of the factors that can be addressed to advance in this sustainable transition.