SEATTLE, April 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska
Airlines today announced its commitment and roadmap to reduce the
company's carbon emissions to net-zero by 2040, and commitments
across carbon, waste, and water impacts by 2025. Today's
announcement included the release of Alaska's 2020 LIFT Sustainability Report
detailing the company's broader climate change strategy, including
waste and water initiatives.
Alaska, together with its
regional subsidiary Horizon Air, identified the reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions as the company's most important
opportunity for environmental action.
"At Alaska Airlines, we know that travel can make a big
difference in people's lives," said Alaska Airlines CEO
Ben Minicucci. "Air travel connects
us to our friends and families, helps us understand one another,
and helps communities across the globe grow and thrive. But we know
that to live our purpose, creating an airline people love, we must
operate every day in a way that cares for both people and our
planet. That's why we've set out on this bold path to reduce our
climate impact near and long term."
Alaska's roadmap to 2040
includes five focus areas to reach net-zero emissions:
- Fleet renewal
- Operational efficiency
- Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
- Novel propulsion
- Credible, high-quality carbon offsetting technology
With a recent Boeing 737 MAX order, Alaska's newest aircraft have 22% better
fuel-efficiency on a seat-by-seat basis than the aircraft they
replace. Alaska is a leader in
using advanced technology to improve flight efficiency, and will
continue to standardize best practices, and expand use of
first-of-its-kind artificial intelligence and machine learning
technology to plan optimize routes. As part of its near-term goals,
the airline will cut in half emissions of its ground services
equipment by 2025 through the purchase and use of electric ground
equipment and other renewables.
Long-term plans for achieving net-zero emissions include
expanding the market for SAF and exploring and advancing novel
propulsion approaches that support electrification technology for
regional flying, that are either not dependent on fossil fuels, or
more efficient than current methods. And because aviation is one of
the most difficult sectors to decarbonize, Alaska will also work with science and
technical advisory Carbon Direct to identify and vet credible,
high-quality carbon offsetting technologies to close any remaining
gaps on the path to net-zero.
"After a difficult year, this is an exciting time for our
company, as we return to growth while embedding sustainability even
deeper in our culture, set bold goals and collaborate with
innovative partners to keep our company, our communities, and our
environment strong and healthy for the long term," said
Diana Birkett Rakow, Alaska
Airlines' vice president of public affairs and sustainability. "The
pandemic sharpened the clarity of our purpose and led us a stronger
path forward. But we also know we can't do this alone and that we
must work together with government, manufacturers, innovators and
other industry partners to decarbonize aviation."
Joining the Amazon Climate Pledge
As a result of its
2040 net-zero emissions strategy, Alaska Airlines today signed onto
The Climate Pledge, a commitment to achieving net-zero-carbon 10
years ahead of the Paris Agreement.
In addition, the company also announced five-year goals to
reduce waste through more sustainable packaging and restarting
industry-leading inflight recycling post-COVID, while offsetting
100% of its operational water use through investments in
high-quality habitat projects.
22,000 employees engaged to help reduce climate
impact
As a reflection of its importance, Alaska Airlines
this year included a carbon emissions target in the incentive pay
program for all 22,000 employees. Additionally, long-term executive
compensation is now linked to diversity, equity and inclusion.
"We know that setting ambitious goals, measuring our progress –
and then holding ourselves accountable – is the key to real
progress," said Diana Birkett
Rakow.
2020 LIFT Sustainability Report
Alaska outlined its environmental, social, and
corporate governance (ESG) goals, strategy and best-practice
disclosure commitments in the Alaska Airlines 2020 LIFT
Sustainability Report at www.alaskaair.com/lift. The report lays
out the company's ambition and roadmap in setting broad
Environmental Sustainability and Governance goals for the next five
years, including diversity, equity and inclusion commitments to
increase the diversity of leadership to reflect the diversity of
frontline employees. Learn more about Alaska Airlines' Diversity,
Equity and Inclusion efforts at blog.alaskaair.com.
About Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines and its regional
partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States and to Mexico, Canada and Costa
Rica. The airline emphasizes Next-Level Care for
its guests, along with providing low fares, award-winning customer
service and sustainability efforts. On March 31,
2021, Alaska became the 14th member
of oneworld. With the global alliance and Alaska
Airlines' additional partners, guests can travel to more than 1,000
destinations on more than 20 airlines while earning and redeeming
miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn
more about Alaska at
newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines and
Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).
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SOURCE Alaska Airlines