Consultant insight: Air cargo market strives to address sustainability

Aviation is considered one of the fastest-growing sectors with regard to emissions , and carbon dioxide (CO2) concerns are rising alongside the number of flights being added to schedules. In turn, initiatives are underway within the air cargo market to address emissions and other sustainability issues. CO2 emissions from planes increased 30% between 2013 and 2019, while the CO2 emissions growth across the broader economy was just 4% during that time period. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, aviation’s CO2 emissions fell by close to 60% due to the number of grounded worldwide flights. [caption id="attachment_69752" align="alignright" width="427"] Cathy Roberson, Cargo Facts Consulting senior consultant and Air Cargo World columnist[/caption] TIACA’s BlueSky The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) this week introduced a new tracking program through which its airline, airport, freight handling and ground handling members can assess and verify their sustainability actions and benchmark progress against their peers. The first stage of the program, called “BlueSky,” involves a desktop verification module that is being tested by Astral Aviation, Swissport and CSC India. The BlueSky program is a multitiered platform that will be launched in phases and renewed every two years. It includes assessment guidelines for companies to begin their verification and validation through awareness and self-assessment; desktop verification which begins with an online assessment and verification of the documents provided; and onsite validation, which consists of both desktop verification and an onsite independent audit. An enhanced company dashboard provides a performance score in each area, an excellence badge, and a detailed report with recommendations on becoming more sustainable, according to TIACA’s website . “The pressures on this industry to prioritize sustainability are ever-increasing as customers, employees, business partners, and, increasingly, investors and regulators, are asking air cargo businesses for their sustainability credentials,” TIACA Director-General Glyn Hughes said . Industry gets greener Indeed, Air Cargo World’s inaugural Air Cargo Tech Summit 2022 addressed sustainability practices in a lively session on sustainability technology and implications, as industry executives discussed the need for sustainable changes in operations. Panelists in the session shared such initiatives as ground handler Worldwide Flight Services’ (WFS) recent environmental, social and governance (ESG) report, “Our Sustainable Flight Path,” which supports the responsible growth of its global airport and aviation services operations and provides a roadmap to coordinate, build upon and accelerate sustainability projects across its global network. One example is WFS’ use of BioNatur PlasticTM biodegradable stretch wrap for cargo handling in North America . According to WFS, the stretch wrap biodegrades significantly quicker than regular plastic and contains a 1% organic, food-safe additive that allows anaerobic bacteria to digest the plastic in a landfill. Meanwhile, United Airlines became the first U.S. airline to purchase sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) overseas. United’s purchase of up to 52.5 million gallons from Neste will be used for every flight departing from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport over the next three years, and is the most significant purchase agreement by a passenger airline in history. Other examples provided during the Air Cargo Tech Summit include the use of electric vehicles (EV) by Rhenus Logistics, which exclusively uses EVs for the handling and clearance at Zurich’s Flughafen Airport. The EVs the forwarder utilizes include 22 freight haulers, 16 armored haulers and three trucks, and Rhenus is also expanding its use of electric vehicles in its Americas operations . Finally, Bollore is also embracing sustainability as evidenced in its pledge to reduce its CO2 emissions by 30% on transport services to clients by 2030. Through a partnership with Air France KLM Martinair Cargo, Bollore has committed to covering at least 60% of its 2021 traffic between CDG and JFK with SAF. And recently, Bollore announced an agreement with Cargolux to use SAF in joint operations, an initiative will enable the company to reduce its Scope 3 Greenhouse Gas Emissions by at least 2,200 tons. With all of this in mind, the air cargo market is actively undertaking various initiatives to reduce CO2 emissions through green transitions and industry collaboration.

Consultant insight: Air cargo market strives to address sustainability

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