Taiwan's biggest airline is pairing with a US freight forwarder, Microsoft and a local refiner to cut the carbon cost of shipping cloud gear by air — good news for Taiwan's fledgling clean-fuel industry.

• EVA Air signed a deal with freight forwarder AIT Worldwide Logistics to fly cargo out of Taiwan using sustainable jet fuel.
• The fuel comes from Formosa Petrochemical and is made from used cooking oil, cutting emissions by about 80% versus normal jet fuel.
• Microsoft is the customer: the flights should cut roughly 15,000 tonnes of carbon from shipping its cloud equipment in the first year.
• Formosa wants government help — a certification system to secure raw materials, plus incentives and cost-sharing with passengers and companies.
• Trade ties are the backdrop: Taiwan is now the fourth-largest US trading partner, and the US is Taiwan's biggest export market.

Outlook: Expect more Asian airlines and shippers to strike similar fuel deals, though supply of used cooking oil and who pays the higher cost remain the sticking points.