Clay Lacy Aviation was founded in 1968 in Van Nuys, CA, making it the first jet charter operation west of the Mississippi River. For most of its history, the company didn’t pay much attention to sustainability issues – but that changed for good at the 2018 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE), at an exhibit showcasing the viability of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), when company leaders first started learning about the potential benefits of operating more sustainably.
The following year, the company decided to take action. Working with sustainability expert World Kinect Energy Services, a subsidiary of World Fuel Services, Clay Lacy developed and began to implement a sustainability program.
“Three things convinced us to get started,” said Scott Cutshall, president of real estate and sustainability at Clay Lacy. “One, we wanted to prepare for future regulations. Two, we believed it would strengthen our competitive advantage and our industry leadership position. And three, we wanted to do the right thing for our employees and clients, the communities where we operate, and future generations.”
“One, we wanted to prepare for future regulations. Two, we believed it would strengthen our competitive advantage and our industry leadership position. And three, we wanted to do the right thing for our employees and clients, the communities where we operate, and future generations.”
SCOTT CUTSHALL, President of Real Estate and Sustainability at Clay Lacy
Taking a Strategic Approach
In sustainability, Clay Lacy saw the potential to drive triple-bottom-line benefits. Lowering emissions and reducing consumption would benefit the environment. Improving operational efficiencies and reducing waste would increase profits. And building a workplace that aligns with employee values would benefit employees and help create a more engaged workforce.
To achieve these goals, Clay Lacy created a robust strategy aimed at transitioning the company to carbon-neutral operations. Specific pillars of the strategy include cutting fossil-fuel use, sourcing more renewable energy, using more sustainable building materials – and making sustainability a central part of the company’s culture. Read more about Clay Lacy’s sustainability strategy.
To help instill sustainability in the company’s cultural DNA, Clay Lacy leadership published their new strategy internally. The company also created a new purchasing policy that encourages the consideration of sustainable alternatives. And it established the Green Team, a cross-company group of volunteers who spread the word about sustainability among their fellow employees while helping identify ways to improve sustainability across day-to-day operations.
“This is a core program for us,” explained Cutshall. “We’re looking for continuous improvement in sustainability – across the company.”
Slashing Emissions and Achieving Carbon Neutrality
Clay Lacy has achieved a series of important milestones since launching its sustainability program in 2019. Its Van Nuys headquarters now generates one-third of onsite electricity from renewable resources. Its Orange County, CA, facility, which earned the Green Power Partner Certificate from the EPA, sources 100% renewable electricity. Using carbon offsets, the company has achieved carbon neutrality for all its facilities, becoming the first company to earn 4AIR’s Green Carbon Neutral Facility designation.
Today, 100% of Clay Lacy’s fleet of ground vehicles uses renewable diesel fuel. The company offers SAF at its Van Nuys and Orange County FBOs and has sold more than 300,000 gallons since 2021. It provides SAF purchasing and custom carbon-offset programs for aircraft-management clients. It offers more than 40 electric vehicle charging stations at its Van Nuys facility, and is partnering with Joby, Supernal and eViation to provide what will be the first electric aircraft charging infrastructure at a Southern California FBO. And the waste-management programs at its facilities have diverted more than 80,000 pounds of food waste from landfills to composting since 2023.
Additionally, the company has participated in a series of major industry sustainability training and certification programs, including NBAA’s Sustainable Flight Department Accreditation Program, which helps operators meet exceptional environmental sustainability standards.
“Our sustainability program is off to a great start,” said Cutshall. “We are a growing company. But we’ve reduced carbon emissions per square foot at our facilities by 22% while adding 51% in new construction. We’ve reduced emissions per managed aircraft by 21% while growing the fleet by 50%. And we’ve decreased emissions per employee by 52% while expanding our workforce by 145%.”
“We are a growing company. But we’ve reduced carbon emissions per square foot at our facilities by 22% while adding 51% in new construction. We’ve reduced emissions per managed aircraft by 21% while growing the fleet by 50%. And we’ve decreased emissions per employee by 52% while expanding our workforce by 145%.”
SCOTT CUTSHALL, President of Real Estate and Sustainability at Clay Lacy
Shaping the Future of Sustainability in Business Aviation
Clay Lacy leadership is currently working with 4AIR, its sustainability partner, to plan its strategy to achieve a wide range of sustainability goals over the next five years. These goals include developing certified-sustainable new facilities, completing the transition of ground service equipment to electric or hybrid, introducing an employee scholarship fund to grow future leaders, and possibly implementing an energy-management technology solution to optimize resource use and lower utility costs.
But Cutshall points out that it’s not enough for Clay Lacy and a few other business aviation companies to be making big strides in sustainability. To avoid a scenario where companies face unwanted taxes or regulations around sustainability issues, there needs to be far broader participation across the industry. Company leaders need to realize that, whatever their personal beliefs or politics, sustainability has become a business necessity, and is crucial to our industry’s future.
What can companies do to start taking charge of that future? According to Cutshall, it begins with measuring your operation’s current carbon footprint to understand your starting point. From there, it’s as simple as picking something – such as reducing flight-ops emissions, lowering electricity consumption and costs, or reducing waste – and taking action to improve it. Possibilities include:
While the best goals are ones that align with your business objectives, what you choose to do is ultimately less important than just getting started. Measure your progress, and drive for continuous improvement.
“Sustainability isn’t just about the environment. It’s about being in the driver’s seat and protecting the future of our industry,” Cutshall said. “Sitting on the sidelines won’t advance your company, your career, or the industry as a whole. But collectively, our impact can be enormous.”
