United Airlines has named Sesame Street’s Oscar the Grouch as its first chief trash officer as he and the airline celebrate his love of rubbish. United Airlines’ new, consumer education campaign is designed to promote the expected benefit of using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) more broadly. SAF is an alternative to conventional jet fuel that, on a lifecycle basis, reduces greenhouse gas emissions associated with air travel compared to conventional jet fuel alone. SAF is being made from used cooking oil and agricultural waste, and, in the future, could be made from other feedstocks including household trash or forest waste.
Who better than Oscar the Grouch to promote the value of trash?
Oscar’s five decades of trash experience is on full display in original video, digital, social and out- of-home content that shows how garbage can help fuel the future of air travel. That content includes this video which chronicles part of Oscar the Grouch’s first day as United’s chief trash officer. Titled “BINtro,” the film was directed by Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton (aka Dayton/Faris) of Bob Industries for agency 72andSunny Los Angeles.
United has already invested in the future production of more than three billion gallons of SAF.
United customers can do their part too by tracking the estimated carbon footprint of their flight and contributing to supplement United’s investment in the new UAV Sustainable Flight Fund when buying a ticket.
“United is invested in helping transform Oscar's favorite kinds of garbage material into sustainable aviation fuel (SAF),” said Lauren Smith, executive creative director at 72andSunny. “So, he was the obvious, entertaining choice for educating about SAF in a way I dare anyone not to love.”
