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Aviation Sustainability and the Environment, CAPA 21-Jan-2021

Analysis

Etihad Airways expands carbon offset programme in partnership with Shell & CarbonClick

China Eastern Airlines saves 600,000 tons of fuel and reduces 2m tons carbon in 2016-2020

Hainan Airlines saves 560,000 tons of fuel since 2008

Hobart Airport diverts 1 tonne of coffee grounds from landfill

Aviation sector and NGOs agree on sustainability of future fuels in Europe

This CAPA report features a summary of recent aviation sustainability and environment news, selected from the 300+ news alerts published daily by CAPA. For more information, please contact us.

Etihad Airways expands carbon offset programme in partnership with Shell & CarbonClick

Etihad Airways confirmed (19-Jan-2021) it purchased 80,000 tonnes of Carbon Offsets in Nov-2020 and plans to expand its offset programme in partnership with Shell.

Through its participation in Shell's carbon credit programme the airline will expand its initiative beyond the existing Makame Savannah REDD project in Tanzania to additional projects in Peru and Indonesia.

Etihad also announced plans to launch a separate programme allowing guests to purchase additional offsets in partnership with New Zealand based CarbonClick.

Shell Aviation president Anna Mascolo stated: "Until sustainable aviation fuel and technology solutions are developed and deployed at scale, offsetting is not a choice but a necessity if companies within the aviation sector are to meet net-zero emissions targets". [more - original PR]

Original report: Etihad Airways boosts carbon offset programme

Abu Dhabi, UAE - Following the purchase of 80,000 tonnes of Carbon Offsets in November, Etihad Airways is expanding its offset programme in collaboration with Shell. Separately, the airline is also setting up a guest programme to allow guests to purchase additional voluntary offsets.

Shell's nature-based carbon offsets

Through its participation in Shell's carbon credit programme, Etihad will expand its offset programme beyond the original Makame Savannah REDD project in Tanzania to include Peru's Cordillera Azul National Park and Indonesia's Katingan Mentaya Project, making Etihad's efforts geographically diverse in the promotion of climate action.

Both the Katingan Mentaya and Cordillera Azul projects are certified by the Verified Carbon Standard and Climate, Community, and Biodiversity Standard. They deliver significant carbon dioxide reductions, while providing additional benefits to the community and biodiversity and supporting the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals. Etihad has chosen to work with Shell, which actively collaborates across the industry to deliver more sustainable solutions for aviation. In addition to being a leading provider of carbon offsets, Shell is a major supplier of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and is active in advancing the supply and use of SAF globally.

Tony Douglas, Etihad Aviation Group CEO, said: "Exactly one year ago, we committed to a sustainable future with the very real, tangible objective to be completely carbon neutral by 2050 and to reduce CO2 emissions to 50 percent of 2019 levels by 2035. Since then, the aviation industry has been completely transformed by the COVID-19 crisis, however our commitment to sustainability has never wavered. We have since introduced and led a number of industry-leading sustainability initiatives to further drive and promote carbon neutrality, of which today's announcement is just the latest."

Anna Mascolo, President, Shell Aviation, said: "We are pleased to be helping Etihad Airways reduce their net carbon footprint, through the use of high-quality, nature-based carbon offsets. Until sustainable aviation fuel and technology solutions are developed and deployed at scale, offsetting is not a choice but a necessity if companies within the aviation sector are to meet net-zero emissions targets. This agreement is a great example of action that can be taken today to engage multiple parties in accelerating aviation's pathway to net zero emissions, even in challenging circumstances."

Etihad voluntary guest offset programme

"In spite of COVID and the vulnerability of the industry, Etihad is determined to pave the path for a green recovery and commit to environmental stewardship and climate action. In that vein, as well as expanding our self-funded Carbon Offset programme, we are developing the option to allow guests to offset their own journey's emissions," said Douglas.

Etihad is working with New Zealand Carbon Offsetting company CarbonClick, a platform that uses certified Gold Standard offsets to reduce the climate impact of aviation through ethical, fully traceable reforestation and renewable energy projects, to develop its voluntary guest offset programme. CarbonClick has helped more than 650 businesses and more than 38,000 individuals in taking climate action. Etihad is one of the first airlines to work with CarbonClick for climate change solutions.

China Eastern Airlines saves 600,000 tons of fuel and reduces 2m tons carbon in 2016-2020

China Eastern Airlines announced (18-Jan-2021) it saved more than 600,000 tons of fuel and achieved two million tons of carbon emissions reduction during China's 13th five year development plan from 2016 to 2020.

In 2019, the fuel efficiency of the carrier's passenger fleet increased by 4.5% compared to 2015. [more - original PR - Chinese]

Excerpt from original report: 东航加快绿色发展,打好"蓝天保卫战","十三五"期间减碳200万吨

2020年12月,国内首台行动不便旅客新能源登机车,由东航所属东航实业集团旗下的东航设备制造公司研发推出。这一创下全行业之先的车型,既能通过动力性能的改变减少车辆噪音、提升行动不便旅客的出行体验,也为东航在"十三五"期间全力打响的"蓝天保卫战",在收官之际再添一项领跑行业的战果。

党的十九大以来,东航集团深入学习贯彻习近平生态文明思想,全面践行党中央、国务院有关决策部署,对标国务院《关于打赢蓝天保卫战三年行动计划》,积极落实民航局对民航行业蓝天保卫战的各项工作要求,将"打好污染防治攻坚战"列入近年来的重点改革任务之一。东航组建了节能减排专题项目组,制定工作方案,主动承担绿色发展的央企责任,从航班飞行到地面运行,从万米高空到零米机坪,东航的环保"战场"维度拓展至空地全域,过去五年间逐步在全东航构建起了绿色环保可持续的航空生态链。

Hainan Airlines saves 560,000 tons of fuel since 2008

Hainan Airlines reported (19-Jan-2021) it has saved 596,000 tons of fuel and reduced its carbon dioxide emissions by around 1.97 million tons since its introduction of energy conservation and emissions reduction plan in 2008. [more - original PR - Chinese]

Original report: 打破壁垒 创新创效 海南航空航油阿米巴管控成果显著

海航集团旗下海南航空控股股份有限公司(以下简称:海南航空)自成立以来,始终坚持"保卫蓝天,绿色发展"的发展理念,把生态文明建设、低碳经济建设作为推动企业可持续发展的战略方向,在践行国家和海南省生态文明建设有关要求的基础上,将阿米巴管理思维融入到航油管控的过程中,取得了显著的成效。

  海南航空在实践航油阿米巴管控的过程中,建立了多层次、多维度的航油阿米巴指标体系,共设立16个一级阿米巴指标,54个二级阿米巴指标,其中考核项目有29个,由节能办制定指标目标并重点推进,推荐开展项目25个,由责任单位自行制定管控目标和管控措施。此外,海南航空利用"阿米巴"思维,打破原有自上而下、被动式的管理体系,建立了涵盖公司节能办公室、牵头部门、配合单位的分级管理体系,逐级划分、自下而上地调动公司内各单位积极性;打破部门壁垒,成立了41个航油阿米巴小分队,负责各项目具体推进与实施,由各项目牵头部门履行主体责任,建立管控与监察程序,项目配合单位根据牵头部门制定的管控方式开展节能项目,并由公司节能办公室对项目指标和数据准确性进行抽查,实现项目穿透式闭环管理。

  以航后飞机辅助动力装置使用(简称APU)时间管控项目为例,海南航空在地面动力装置(简称GPU)应用尽用的基础上,增加了对于远机位没有GPU情况下使用APU的管控,要求各单位优化作业流程、协同作业,在不影响服务品质的前提下优先完成用电工作项目,并规定窄体机在挡轮挡 50 分钟之内关闭 APU,宽体机在 90 分钟之内关闭。海航技术作为项目实施主体,制定项目管控体系,并成立中南、西北等5个子阿米巴小组负责具体实施;地服部作为配合单位,建立了"清洁-代理人-机务"三方协同机制,优化地面服务作业流程和标准;维修工程部作为监管单位,定期对项目实施情况进行监察;节能办公室作为公司节能减排管理机构,每月对项目指标完成情况进行分析,对各单位项目推进过程进行监管,并不定期监察。通过管控,窄体机平均过夜APU使用时间较2019年下降0.6小时,宽体机同比下降0.5小时。

  自2008年开展节能减排以来,海南航空共开展落地剩油、APU时间管控等30多个节能减排项目,累计节油59.6万吨,减少二氧化碳排放约197万吨,获得了国内外主管单位的高度认可,2020年再次被联合国能源管理工作组(简称EMWG)评选为年度"全球能源管理领导奖-能源管理洞察力奖",是目前全球唯一一家获此殊荣的航空公司,也是继荣获2018年度全球所有航空公司"跨太平洋航线燃油效率排名第一"及2019年度中国"气候领袖企业"称号之后再获殊荣。未来,海南航空将继续贯彻创新、协调、绿色、开放、共享的发展理念,积极携手上下游企业、提高能源效率,倡导、推动绿色航空建设及航空业的绿色低碳可持续发展。

Hobart Airport diverts 1 tonne of coffee grounds from landfill

Hobart Airport, via its official LinkedIn Account, stated (15-Jan-2021) the airport diverted one tonne of coffee grounds from landfill, as part of a circular economy experiment in conjunction with Westland Nurseries and Red Square Café which ran for approximately five months.

The diversion equates to 340 cubic metres of methane not being released into the atmosphere. The airport plans to implement the process across all food and beverage outlets within its terminal.

Aviation sector and NGOs agree on sustainability of future fuels in Europe

European Climate Foundation reported (13-Jan-2021) KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, easyJet, Air France, IAG, as well as research organisations and environmental groups are calling for a more stringent policy approach to sustainability, future aviation fuels and the sector's climate impact.

The parties provide recommendations on the sustainability aspects of the EU's policy design to support sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) and "ensure that future policies only promote the most sustainable fuels for reducing the climate impact of aviation". The parties' Fuelling Flight initiative outlines the following:

  • Investment certainty for the production of SAF in Europe is dependent on long-term EU policy such as competition with other uses of land and supporting fuels with high carbon reductions compared to fossil fuels;
  • The scale-up of SAF must be informed by an impact assessment of EU resources;
  • There must be an exclusion of biofuels produced from dedicated cropland to avoid competition with production of food or feed for livestock or carbon sequestration from reforestation;
  • Priority should be given to fuels made from wastes and residues. [more - original PR]

Excerpt from original report: Aviation sector and NGOs agree on sustainability of future fuels

Given that EU leaders have committed to achieving a net-zero-carbon economy by 2050, there is a growing focus on how to accelerate the transition towards climate-neutral aviation.

As the European Union is about to unveil new targets for sustainable aviation fuel in 2021, a group of major European aviation companies - including KLM, Easyjet, Air France, International Airlines Group - as well as research organisations and environmental groups are calling for a more stringent policy approach to sustainability and the sector's climate impact.

In a statement, the group provides recommendations on the sustainability aspects of the EU's policy design to support Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF).

Parties endorsing the Fuelling Flight initiative share the vision that ramping up SAF in Europe can only be done once and therefore must be done in the right manner. One of the key elements is a regulatory framework that guarantees future-proof sustainability requirements. This cornerstone is needed to build-up production capacity and organise feedstock value chains while avoiding investments that either fail to deliver emission reductions or cause unintended environmental impacts.

The Fuelling Flight initiative was convened by the European Climate Foundation (ECF) and ClimateWorks Foundation (CWF) to provide recommendations on the sustainability aspects of the EU's policy design to support Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF). Technical advice was provided by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT).

"Europe must ensure that future policies only promote the most sustainable fuels for reducing the climate impact of aviation, and the EU needs to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. The current Renewable Energy Directive does not ensure that fuels used in Europe meet the sustainability standards desired by civil society nor of leading airlines. In the Fueling Flight initiative, aviation companies, research organisations and environmental groups have now reached agreement on this important topic, and we propose shared guidelines on how to minimise environmental impacts. Policymakers should take this into consideration when defining a policy framework that is fair, affordable and meets the highest sustainability standards without compromise."

Pete Harrison, Executive Director for EU Policy at the European Climate Foundation

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