United Turns to Oscar the Grouch to Spread SAF Awareness

Oscar, well-known for his affinity for trash, has been dubbed United's chief trash officer and is helping the airline educate the public about sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). 

SAF is made primarily of waste products, such as used cooking oil and agricultural waste feedstocks. According to United, it can be used in combination with conventional fuel in aircraft in accordance with current blending requirements, resulting in lower carbon dioxide emissions.

"SAF is one of the ways we're planning to reduce our carbon footprint across United’s fleet," the company said. "Investing in and using more SAF across the entire airline industry will help fly us all toward a lower carbon future."

Since SAF is basically created from garbage, it made sense to have a trash expert like Oscar to be the company spokesperson for the effort.

The Muppets are an ensemble cast of puppet characters created in the 1960s by Jim Henson and Jon Stone. Oscar is a fluffy green creature with bushy dark eyebrows that gave him a permanent scowl. He spends most of his time seated in a garbage can and extolling the virtues of trash.

United has several short videos starring Oscar the Grouch, beginning with one that shows how he saw a newspaper advertisement for a chief trash officer. With his 30-plus years of experience, how could he miss?

In other videos he plays opposite actual United employees who are excited about the use of SAF at the airline. He interacts with flight crews, sends junk mail to everyone in the world to let them know about United's plans to power its airplanes on fuel made from waste materials. In another, he has a Zoom meeting with a Generation Z coworker with a sunny and upbeat disposition who wants to know how to spread the word that United is committed to lowering its carbon emissions by using SAF.

The campaign marks the latest SAF initiative for the airline. In February, Embraer announced it would join United Airlines Ventures’ Sustainable Flight Fund, an investment program aimed at increasing the supply of SAF through investment in related startup companies. The airline and its 22 corporate partners have committed more than $200 million to invest in companies working to decarbonize air travel.