Gulfstream Sustainability Chief Confident About Bizav Progress

Smitha Hariharan, vice president and chief sustainability officer at Gulfstream Aerospace, is optimistic about the business aviation industry’s potential to become more sustainable. Despite creating only 0.04% of global emissions, the industry is demonstrating strong leadership in sustainability.

The Paris Climate Agreement brought sustainability to the forefront for aviation and other industries, Hariharan said, while also highlighting a dichotomy: How can business goals and sustainability goals stand side by side? The question has driven Hariharan to focus on sustainability and look for solutions.

Gulfstream created the role of chief sustainability officer and brought Hariharan on board to help accelerate the company’s and industry’s sustainability goals, which include supporting General Dynamics’ goal of reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon dioxide emissions by 40% by 2034, relative to 2019.

“Sustainability has been a pillar at Gulfstream Aerospace since 2009 – looking at aircraft efficiency, reducing carbon footprint in operations and exploring alternative fuels,” Hariharan said. “The pace at which we are approaching sustainability is incredible and establishes business aviation as a leader in this space. It’s important for all technologies to remain in the mix and be in consideration, including aircraft efficiencies, route efficiencies and lower emissions fuels.”

For example, Gulfstream’s fleet features fuel-efficiency gains of up to 33% over predecessor models, thanks to lightweight composites, advanced winglet designs and more. The company has continued to roll out initiatives to lower the environmental impact of its operations over the past decade. In 2023, Gulfstream achieved the world’s first transatlantic flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel in both engines.

“All of these areas need to be more environmentally sustainable,” she said. “Investment in innovation with a lens of improving sustainability gives me a lot of hope that we will make progress on our goals.”

The CLIMBING.FAST. initiative – which showcases business aviation’s many societal benefits and its commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 – communicates shared goals and progress while identifying how the industry can collaborate.

People interested in careers in aviation sustainability should be creative and persistent relationship builders – strong change agents who know the regulatory environment, she said. “Laying down the right framework that best suits your company and where you are on the journey requires clear thinking and a good understanding of sustainability principles and the ability to identify priorities.”