Air Canada Releases Sustainability Report Highlighting Progress and Continued Commitment to Environm

Air Canada today issued its 2019 corporate sustainability report Citizens of the World, outlining the airline's progress in key areas of sustainability, including some 2020 updates. In addition to committing to the Global Reporting Initiative, recognized as a leader in sustainability reporting standards, Air Canada also supports and promotes the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Air Canada's 2019 corporate sustainability report Citizens of the World. (CNW Group/Air Canada)

"Despite the extreme challenges we are facing this year, sustainability remains a top priority for Air Canada. We believe that growth and prosperity should not come at the expense of sustainability and we are committed to operating our business responsibly and with integrity for the benefit of future generations. The 2019 Citizens of the World report is evidence of our strong global organization which we have worked so hard to build over the last 10 years. While our collective achievements of 2019 may feel distant under the current circumstances, they should be highlighted nonetheless," said Calin Rovinescu, President and CEO of Air Canada.

Through three fundamental sustainability pillars - Our Business, Our People, Our Planet, all centred around the airline's core priority of Safety First, Always, Air Canada is proud to share the positive impact of its initiatives on issues that matter most.

Key achievements include:

Business

Ranked in the top 3% of airlines included in the IATA Operational Safety Audit;
Important contributor to the travel and tourism sector worldwide, which represented approximately CAN$102 billion in annual GDP and employed over 1.8 million people in Canada in 2019;
In 2020, more than 30% of the members of the Board of Directors are women;
Introduction of the Airbus A220, expected to average 20% less fuel consumption per seat and emit 20% less CO2.

People

Engaged workforce of close to 38,000 employees (in 2019);
Was recognized as one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers for the fourth consecutive year, named one of Canada's Top 100 employers for the seventh consecutive year;
Supported 315 registered charities through the Air Canada Foundation, with more than $2 million net raised for the communities we serve;
More than 100 million miles donated by Aeroplan and its members for charitable purposes;
Disaster relief aid deployed for Canadian floods and Hurricane Dorian.

Planet

Experienced a 19% improvement in fuel efficiency between 2009 and 2019;
On target to meet the annual 1.5% fuel efficiency improvement by end of 2020;
Progressed on work toward carbon-neutral growth in 2020 for international aviation (through CORSIA);
Continued to support the development of lower-carbon Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) in Canada;
Removed more than 38 million pieces of single-use plastic from onboard service (in 2019);
Achieved the 2020 recycling efficiency target in 2019.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on our employees, customers, communities and other stakeholders. But we must not lose sight of all the great achievements of the last decade. I truly believe that our resilience, strong culture and engagement during these unprecedented times will serve us well for years to come. We will overcome these challenges so that we continue to serve local communities and contribute to the social and economic health of our country," said Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources and Communications Officer at Air Canada.