Virgin mogul Sir Richard Branson has been the target of criticism ever since announcing his airline was responsible for the first-ever commercial flight run partially on biofuels. This past weekend, the flight from London to Amsterdam used a combination of coconut and Amazon nut oils in one of its tank. However Branson failed to impress environmental groups who dismissed the event as an effort to generate publicity. The World Development Movement has been one of the most vocal critics.

Its head of policy, Pete Hardstaff, said: "This is nothing more than a Virgin publicity stunt with dangerous consequences for the planet. The concept of using bio-fuels and continuing the rate of expansion in the aviation industry is nonsensical. If Richard Branson is serious about combating climate change, instead of experimenting with biofuels, he should be backing the campaign to include aviation in the targets to reduce emissions in the Climate Change Bill. Biofuels are generally sourced from crops that displace the production of staple foods. Consequently, food prices are rocketing as those crops are diverted from food to fuel. If this pattern continues and expands, millions of people in the developing world will see the price of staple foods soar out of their reach."

The subdued and humble Richard Branson guilty of a publicity stunt? Never!

» Independent