GUEST COLUMN
Shifting the focus Anne De Hauw and Anne-Céline Donkersloot of IN Air Travel Experience explore the ways in which a spotlight on sustainability can help an airline improve its connection to customers
Anne De Hauw (right) and Anne-Céline Donkersloot
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Critics might argue that some airlines are guilty of ‘green-washing’ and can do a great deal more to respect and preserve the environment for future generations.”
42 MARCH/APRIL 2019
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o one said it better than Mademoiselle Coco Chanel: “Less is more.” Her ethos of rejecting consumer habits can be applied not just to crimes against fashion but also to those against the environment. In 2018, we saw record heat waves on four continents, wildfires in the Arctic Circle, and perilous water shortages in South Africa, Australia and India. Scientists now talk of a “sixth mass extinction” of animal, bird, insect and marine life. As governments struggle to keep the fragile Paris Agreement on track, businesses have an opportunity to play a decisive role in a sustainable future. Thanks to changing consumer attitudes, every company is forced to pursue sustainable practices. Emissions from aviation account for about 2% of global greenhouse
gas pollution. A return flight from London to New York generates the same emissions as the average European does heating their home for a year. Airlines are scrambling to minimize the negative effects of flying on the environment. Some of the top sustainability practices in aviation include: • Carbon offsetting: A program that allows passengers to invest in offsetting their carbon footprint. • Fuel efficiency: The newer the fleet, the more fuel-efficient it will be, and the more fuel-efficient it is, the less pollution and emissions it will produce while lowering costs. • Investing in biofuels: Biofuel technology reduces the use of fossil fuels and overall carbon emissions. • Recycling programs: Airlines are working toward reducing waste – some better than others.