AIRPORT PARTNERSHIPS TICKET TO CLIMATE-FRIENDLY TRAVEL

News Release. Auckland, New Zealand. August 2021. Enviro-tech company CarbonClick this month announces two new airport partnerships in its mission toward reducing the impact of air travel and effecting positive change in the fight against climate change. CarbonClick is working with leading airports around the world to enable travellers to balance the carbon footprint of their flights.

Ljubljana Airport in Slovenija, operated by Fraport Slovenija, now offers travellers the opportunity to calculate and offset their flight emissions [http://lju.iflygreener.com/]. The airport's move marks another offering from Europe's most sustainable country, which describes "sustainability as being part of the local DNA."

This month CarbonClick also celebrates its partnership with Galapagos Ecological Airport, Galapagos Islands. Serving one of the most fragile and ecologically significant destinations on the planet, this makes it a highly symbolic airport to implement an offset programme. Already acclaimed as the world's first green airport, built from recycled materials and running on almost 100% renewable energy, a carbon offset programme adds to the continual evolution of a highly impactful sustainability programme. [http://gps.iflygreener.com/].

CarbonClick CEO Dave Rouse says, "More than half of all travellers fly on airlines that don't offer a carbon offsetting programme and where they do, conversion rates are low. The role of airports is proving pivotal in the fight against climate change.

"Many airports are doing great things regarding their own emissions but when you look at a passenger's journey, over 95% of their emissions come from the flight. So, for airports who truly want to do more for the environment, this is an opportunity to tackle the impact of flying with a robust carbon offsetting programme that is fit for purpose and the planet."

Research points to trust and transparency as critical barriers to participation, beyond the actual existence of the opportunity to offset. Globally, travellers have a high sense of awareness and concern about the impact of air travel, particularly as passenger numbers start to return to pre- pandemic levels. Yet, the options to do something about it have to date been quite limited.

CarbonClick looks to address this imbalance with a highly transparent system that delivers a mix of high quality fully verified projects that carry both environmental and social benefits. Participants can delve deeply into the projects that their offsetting programme supports and track this impact as time goes on. Every project is carefully selected and aligned to a range of UN sustainable development goals, providing a very high level of trust and, with that, a greater willingness to participate.

Selected projects focus on supporting a mix of international and local projects that address the ecological impact of deforestation and enabling clean energy projects around the world.

CarbonClick works in partnership with airports to help select verified projects with meaning and benefit to the people and places it serves.

With further high-impact airport partnerships in the wings, CarbonClick is also working alongside priority airline partners to capture that first touch point for travellers. It is with great excitement that CarbonClick also welcomes the highly acclaimed Etihad Airways to its family of partners this month. Etihad is a forerunner in aviation sustainability, which it describes as being at the core of its business and an integral part of its day to day operations.

Mariam AlQubaisi, Etihad Airways Head of Sustainability, said: "Sustainability in aviation and achieving net zero emissions remains the most important long-term strategic objective for Etihad, spearheaded by our Greenliner Programme. As an airline we have committed to purchasing carbon offsets to completely neutralise the CO2 emissions of our flagship "Greenliner" 787-10 aircraft for a full year of operations in 2021, and it is important to be able to offer that same capability to our guests, who are now able to offset their own personal emissions when flying with Etihad, through CarbonClick. We look forward to expanding on our partnership to offer even more offset capabilities and options to our guests. Watch this space."

Rouse says, it is the natural progression of integrating sustainability practices and a trustworthy carbon offset programme across all aspects of the aviation business that will enable more climate friendly travel across the globe.