February 26 - American Airlines and Deloitte today announced an innovative collaboration to advance the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to reduce emissions from aviation. The SAF emissions agreement between American and Deloitte reduces life cycle emissions from aviation by 3,050 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is equivalent to approximately 10,000 passengers flying one-way from New York City to Los Angeles.

 

This is one of the first collaborations between an organization seeking to reduce net emissions from business travel and a U.S. airline that is using SAF in its daily operations. This provides Deloitte with an opportunity within aviation to help meet its ambitious goal to reduce its business travel emissions per employee by 50% by 2030. Deloitte recognizes the importance of SAF in enhancing its ability to connect with clients through sustainable business travel.

 

Deloitte and American recognize that SAF is an important tool to reduce aviation emissions, though it is not yet available at the scale or price needed to reduce emissions significantly. This collaboration will explore how a new market-based solution ― a certificate that allocates the emissions reduction value of SAF ― can benefit companies seeking to reduce their Scope 3 business travel emissions.

 

The SAF certificate is a concept under development by the World Economic Forum’s Clean Skies for Tomorrow initiative, aimed at unlocking new capital to boost SAF production by harnessing the ambition of corporate climate goals to reduce emissions from business travel. SAF, in conjunction with certificates, can be used by corporations to help meet their sustainability goals.

 

Deloitte’s Commitment to Sustainability

Deloitte’s purpose is brought to life through their commitment to help drive responsible climate choices as part of the WorldClimate ambition, and in support of the Paris Agreement.

Deloitte recognizes change starts within. Deloitte has set standards for itself, including achieving net-zero emissions by 2030. They will also look to connect with others, empowering their professionals and engaging the broader ecosystem, to create solutions that facilitate the transition to a low carbon economy. This will require reimagining, reinventing and redesigning many of the day-to-day experiences of the lives, as well as how businesses and economies operate.

 

American’s Climate Change Strategy

In response to the pressing global challenge of climate change, American set a goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and developed a clear pathway to achieve it. Reducing use of traditional jet fuel is a core focus of the airline’s climate change strategy, which is why American has undertaken the most extensive fleet replacement initiative in the history of commercial aviation and committed to purchase 9 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel over the next three years. That SAF meets or exceeds all the performance characteristics of petroleum-based jet fuel but is made from sustainably sourced feedstocks and has lifecycle CO2 emissions that are at least 75% lower than those of petroleum-based jet fuel.

 

Over the longer term, American is working to facilitate broader advancements in policy, markets, infrastructure and technology that will ultimately enable the transition to low-carbon aviation. While there are many steps the airline can take to reduce its carbon footprint, transitioning to a low- or no-carbon aviation future will depend on the combined efforts of the private sector and effective policies from governments at all levels, along with advances in airframe, engine and fuel technologies. More information on American’s sustainability strategy is available in the airline’s most recent ESG report.

 

 

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