Cathay Pacific has today announced the introduction of their new ‘Fly Greener’ carbon-offset program for airfreight. Fly Greener is a carbon-offset program powered by an integrated carbon emissions calculator, and part of the carrier’s commitment to net-zero by 2050.
On Wednesday (August 24, 2022), Cathay Pacific announced the launch of ‘Fly Greener’ for airfreight, a carbon-offset program powered by an integrated carbon emissions calculator, as part of the company’s commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The calculator works out the carbon emissions of shipments and the offsetting cost in a few simple steps. Customers will then have the option to purchase carbon offsets from carefully selected projects which are certified under the Gold Standard, and come with societal and developmental benefits.
In Wednesday’s announcement, Cathay Pacific’s General Manager – Cargo Commercial, George Edmunds, said,
“The carbon emissions calculator is another tool we have made available to help our customers achieve their sustainability targets to make our business and our industry more sustainable. In tandem with our promotion and development of Sustainable Aviation Fuel capabilities, the calculator will give our customers flexibility to offset their carbon emissions via a suite of accredited carbon offset projects.”
The new Fly Greener program for cargo follows the introduction earlier this year of Cathay Pacific’s Corporate Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Programme, which brings SAF into Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) for the first time. That program provides corporate customers the opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint from business travel and air cargo shipments by contributing to the use of SAF. Cathay was also one of the first airlines worldwide to commit to the use of 10 percent SAF by 2030.
Although customers have already been able to estimate carbon emissions by searching for flight connections with the emission calculator on cathaypacificcargo.com, now registered customers will be able to offset their shipments by air waybill (AWB) number. Customers can enter five AWBs at a time, but can submit as many applications as required over any monthly period. The tool uses the latest IATA methodology and was developed by Cathay Pacific subsidiary Global Logistic System (HK) Co., Ltd. (GLSHK).
Also speaking in Wednesday’s announcment, Global Logistic System’s CEO, Simon Ng, said,
“Multiple factors can lead to variance in the amount of emissions generated by a booked shipment. GLSHK helped refine this system with Cathay Pacific Cargo by using a variety of data sources to calculate the emissions for a shipment including the actual flown route, aircraft type, and actual flying distance to maximise the accuracy of the offset for our customers.”
Cathay Pacific’s Head of Cargo Global Partnerships, Chris Bowden, added,
“We are excited to be driving industry leadership in Asia for sustainability, and we look forward to working with our customers to promote sustainable air cargo shipments. We know that carbon-offset calculations can be complex and need to be accurate for sustainability auditing purposes. We believe that the ease and simplicity of Fly Greener and the carbon emissions calculator makes the rigour and complexity that goes into carbon emissions calculations straightforward and user-friendly, which is something our customers have been actively seeking.”
After each submission, customers will receive a spreadsheet showing totals carried and claimed along with the carbon offset calculation. They will also receive a monthly statement for all submissions from the previous month and the total to be settled. Customers will then receive a certificate showing the offset total and sustainability project supported. Monetary contributions from Fly Greener directly fund third-party validated projects that help offset CO2 through carbon credits purchased by Cathay Pacific and passed on to customers at cost. Currently, the scheme supports four projects which bring fuel-efficient cooking stoves to families in Bangladesh, solar-powered hot water to families in India, and solar-powered cooking stoves and small biogas plants to families in Mainland China.
Cathay Pacific is Hong Kong’s home airline and offers scheduled passenger and cargo service to destinations in Asia, North America, Australia, Europe and Africa. Cathay Pacific is one of the world’s largest international air cargo carriers and Cathay Pacific Cargo operates a dedicated fleet of 14 Boeing 747-8F Freighters and six 747-400ERFs (Extended Range Freighters). The Cathay Pacific Group also includes Air Hong Kong, and express all-cargo carrier offering scheduled and charter services in Asia. Cathay Pacific is a member of the Swire Group and is publicly listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Source: Cathay Pacific