Aviation Sustainability and the Environment, CAPA 23-Jan-2020
Headlines
Air France-KLM CEO: Aviation taxes 'hindering our ability' to reduce carbon footprint
Transavia France transitions to plastic-free onboard operations
Lufthansa Group now purchasing 100% green electricity in home markets
Swedavia to reduce CO2 emissions to zero by the end of 2020
Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith: Aviation taxes 'hindering our ability' to reduce carbon footprint
Air France-KLM CEO Ben Smith said investment in fleet renewal "is a quick and effective way to reduce our carbon footprint" (AFP, 18-Jan-2020).
He also said new aviation taxes are "hindering our ability to make those investments... If we don't make money, we won't be able to buy new planes".
Transavia France transitions to plastic-free onboard operations
Transavia France, via its official YouTube and Twitter and accounts, announced (21/22-Jan-2020) it successfully transitioned to plastic-free operations onboard its aircraft. Plastic products have been replaced with sustainable alternative solutions such as products made from polylactic acid, bamboo cutlery, BioPBS drinking cups and FSC certified paper bags for onboard purchases.
The airline estimates around seven million plastic items will be removed from distribution p/a, equating to around 41 tonnes p/a. Further steps in 2020 include selective recycling to reuse products thrown away by passengers.
Lufthansa Group now purchasing 100% green electricity in home markets
Lufthansa Group commenced (22-Jan-2020) exclusively purchasing green electricity in Germany, Austria, Switzerlandand Belgium since the beginning of 2020. Lufthansa has acquired green power certificates which guarantee the production of green electricity from new power plants, contributing to the expansion of renewable energy.
The group aims to reach CO2 neutral mobility on the ground in its home markets by 2030 and is investing in the expansion of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles to support employees to travel to work in an "environmentally friendly manner". Additionally, managers who lease a purely electric vehicle will receive an increased mobility allowance.
Original report: Lufthansa Group now uses 100 percent green electricity in its home markets
This measure contributes to the promotion of renewable energy.
Since the beginning of the year, the Lufthansa Group has exclusively been purchasing green electricity in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium. To this end, Lufthansa has acquired green power certificates, which guarantee the production of green electricity from new power plants, thus contributing to the expansion of renewable energy.
As further measures, the Group aims to reach CO2-neutral mobility on the ground in its home markets by 2030. Among other things, the company is investing in the expansion of the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, thus supporting its employees to travel to work in an environmentally friendly manner. Managers who lease a purely electric vehicle will receive an increased mobility allowance.
The Lufthansa Group also focuses on energy efficiency and resource conservation when planning, renovating and constructing buildings. A beacon in the low-energy concept is the Lufthansa Aviation Center at Frankfurt Airport: in 2009 it was one of the first low-energy buildings in Germany and has since then maintained the "Green Building" award.
The Lufthansa Group's environmental strategy remains focused on sustainably increasing the ecological efficiency in flight operations, in particular by investing billions in modern and low-emission aircraft.
Swedavia to reduce CO2 emissions to zero by the end of 2020
Swedavia CEO Jonas Abrahamsson, in a post tweeted via ACI Europe's official Twitter account, stated (22-Jan-2020) the airport company will have reduced CO2 emissions from 8000 tonnes p/a in 2010 to 300-400 tonnes p/a in 2020 through investments such as biofuel heating, "and we will have zero tonnes by the end of the year".