Why Unreasonable Matters: Reflecting on Four Inspiring Days at Unreasonable Alchemy
At Firefly, we’re fortunate to spend every day working towards a future where aviation can continue to connect people, cultures and economies without compromising the planet. But every so often, it’s important to step away from the day-to-day and reconnect with the bigger picture.
That is exactly what our CEO, James Hygate OBE, and Chief of Staff, Catherine Cheetham, experienced at this year’s Unreasonable Alchemy.
By uniting founders, entrepreneurs, mentors and investors from across the globe, the event showcased the remarkable power of collaboration. This gathering not only offered a chance to contemplate the immense scale of the climate challenge, but also highlighted how collective expertise, vision and support are driving extraordinary progress. It is through these vibrant connections and partnerships that innovative businesses are empowered to turn bold ideas into lasting solutions, accelerating the journey towards a more sustainable future.
James became a fellow of the Unreasonable community in 2017, following Green Fuels’ achievement in saving millions of tonnes of carbon and establishing waste-to-fuel facilities globally. During the Energy Plenary, he presented Firefly’s development – from early experiments to Green Fuels’ commercial success – and outlined its vision to decarbonise aviation by converting sewage waste into Sustainable Aviation Fuel, with the aim to achieve a gigatonne-scale impact.
The story resonated because it reflects a broader truth about climate innovation. Transformative ideas rarely happen overnight. They are built through persistence, collaboration and a willingness to challenge conventional thinking.
This year was also particularly special as Catherine joined the programme as an Unreasonable Mentor, supporting founders tackling some of the world’s most pressing environmental and social challenges. Having spent much of her career helping organisations turn ambitious ideas into reality, the experience reinforced a belief shared across Firefly: that lasting progress comes from empowering great people with the confidence, support and partnerships to succeed.
Throughout the week, one message came through consistently. The technologies needed to tackle climate change increasingly exist. The challenge now is not simply inventing new solutions but creating the conditions that allow proven innovations to scale into industries capable of delivering meaningful global impact.
That philosophy sits at the heart of Firefly.
Our mission is to decarbonise aviation by transforming unavoidable wet waste into Sustainable Aviation Fuel through a repeatable, globally scalable infrastructure platform. Achieving that ambition depends not only on engineering excellence, but on collaboration between entrepreneurs, investors, governments and industry leaders who are prepared to think differently about the future.
Perhaps the most valuable takeaway from Unreasonable Alchemy, however, was not technological at all.
It was the reminder that progress is ultimately driven by people.
Spending time with founders willing to challenge assumptions, investors prepared to back bold ideas, and mentors committed to helping others succeed created a sense of optimism that can sometimes be difficult to find amid the daily demands of building a business.
As George Bernard Shaw famously observed, “The reasonable person adapts to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable people.”
After four inspiring days, James and Catherine have returned with renewed conviction, new partnerships and an even stronger belief that by working together, ambitious ideas really can become the industries that shape a cleaner future.
