‘Sustainability in the air’ creating a net-zero future for aviation

03 May, 2022

Enviro-tech company CarbonClick has stepped up  its mission to fight against climate change with its sponsorship of the podcast series  ‘Sustainability in the Air’ hosted by SimpliFlying, the world’s leading aviation consulting firm. 

The series speaks to the challenge of the aviation industry’s sustainability journey toward  net-zero. ‘Sustainability in the Air’ is widening the dialogue between industry leaders on  best practices to bridge the gap between future solutions such as SAF (Sustainable Aviation  Fuel) and electrically powered aircraft. CarbonClick CEO Dave Rouse says, “These solutions  are at least a decade away from becoming feasible and scalable to a level that enables  widespread access. Even then, solutions like SAF may only account for 6% of all flights.”  

In Episode 2, Rouse and CarbonClick COO and aviation expert Michelle Noordermeer discuss  opportunities and challenges around carbon offsetting and highlight where they believe  airlines need to go next, and most importantly, why carbon offsetting is the right solution  for aviation now. 

Voluntary carbon offsetting programmes are already an option for many airlines. However,  passenger uptake has been low. Noordermeer has identified three critical barriers to  participation in offsetting despite high awareness of climate change. These are:  

1 – Very few solutions are integrated into the booking flow, meaning the majority of   customers only get the opportunity post-purchase. 

2 – Consumers don’t understand or don’t relate with the projects the offset contribution go  to. 

3 – People doubt their contributions go to where airlines say they go to due to a historical  lack of trust and transparency 

While aviation’s impact on global carbon emissions currently sits at 2-3%, it will soon  become more noticeable as many other industries reduce their footprint over the coming  years.  

Still, demand for air travel is still high for the foreseeable future. Rouse says, “As humans,  we need to connect with each other and seek out the myriad of experiences that our planet  offers and flying is integral to achieving that.”  

Carbon offsetting offers the potential for airlines and other leaders in aviation to meet the  demand for travel yet take action to address climate change concerns, while still allowing  for investment into long-term solutions. 

Rouse cites the implementation of high-quality, meaningful and transparent carbon  offsetting programmes as crucial to taking action now. A McKinsey & Company, Clean Sky  Customer Survey, ‘Customer perspectives on ‘Flygskam and Aviation Decarbonisation,’ (Nov  2019) reports 46% of respondents as being happy to pay a premium for carbon-neutral  flights. The programmes offered by CarbonClick present an immediate opportunity for  businesses to step toward carbon reduction and invest in clean energy projects through  verified and highly transparent beneficiary projects.  

Delivering programmes to aviation, retail, manufacturing and e-commerce sectors,  CarbonClick has earned the position as a global leader in high-trust climate action. Rouse  attributes the uptake of the CarbonClick offering to three key elements; Simplicity,  Trustworthy and being Meaningful for participants.  

Simplicity is achieved through integration into the booking flow. CarbonClick is working with  GDS providers (GDS – Global Distribution System) to provide solutions at the point of  booking.  

Meaningful – Projects must resonate with the customer and make a long-term impact. Trust  is tightly interwoven with this and addressed by all CarbonClick projects being verified by  third-party registries plus rigorous and continued auditing. CarbonClick also partners with  the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and measures projects against specific United Nations  Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  

Trustworthy – All projects are fully transparent, with customers able to trace where their  contributions have gone. Unlike other providers, CarbonClick purchases carbon credits in  advance, meaning the customer will immediately receive an verified receipt and can engage  with their beneficiary project straight away. “This high level of engagement and tangible  action goes a long way to gaining trust from the customer who can be assured that their  investment is well spent and not going into a black hole,” says Rouse. 

Some airlines take their sustainability effort to the next level. Etihad Airways does so by  integrating the CarbonClick offsetting programme into a suite of sustainability practices and  the world’s first green loyalty programme called ‘Conscious Choices.’  

Etihad Airways Group CEO Tony Douglas cites offsetting as an “immediate solution” to the  emissions challenge and calls out CarbonClick during the podcast series for having been  “essential” in Etihad’s journey. Tony Douglas’ interview on how Etihad Airways works with  CarbonClick in “leading the industry toward a sustainable future” can be heard here. 

“Carbon offsetting is a natural progression toward integrating other sustainability practices.  A trustworthy offset programme across all aspects of the business is becoming increasingly  sought after by consumers of products and services across aviation, airports, retail and e commerce,” says Rouse.  

CarbonClick also believes that carbon offsetting can play an important role in aviation cargo,  accounting for around 27% of all commercial aviation emissions. CarbonClick COO Michelle  Noordemeer says, “We are already exploring solutions in this space.” 

“We only get one shot at fighting climate change. We have to do everything we can do  together and encourage others’ efforts in taking action, ” says Noordermeer.  

In February 2022, CarbonClick became a B-Corp Certified company for its commitment to  meeting and maintaining the highest standard of social and environmental impact. 

Listen to CarbonClick’s CEO Dave Rouse and COO Michelle Noordermeer on SimpliFlying