EU's new flight emissions label empowers passengers to make sustainable choices
The initiative tackles greenwashing and empowers consumers to make informed, sustainable choices.
During the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) EU Congress in Amsterdam, Guillermo Rebollo de Garay, Aviation Policy Officer at the European Commission, unveiled an initiative to tackle greenwashing in the aviation industry and empower consumers to make informed, sustainable choices.
Set to launch in early 2025, the proposed Voluntary Flight Emissions Label, aims to provide passengers with transparent and accurate data about the environmental impact of their flights.
Rebollo de Garay emphasised the crucial role of credible environmental claims in the proposal:
"Protecting our consumers against possible greenwashing is our shared top priority. We are equipping customers with the tools and means to protect themselves against it, enabling them to make decisions based on actual facts and contribute to the essential transition through their actions and purchases."
The introduction of the Voluntary Flight Emissions Label comes at a time when consumers are increasingly concerned about climate change and willing to make more sustainable choices.
Research released by the European Commission shows that 93% of EU citizens consider climate change a serious problem and that 88% believe the EU should be climate-neutral by 2050.
Exposing Misleading Environmental Claims
Importantly, the Commission's research also showed that 53% of environmental claims across the EU were vague, misleading, or unfounded, and 57% lacked sufficient information for consumers to assess their accuracy.
Rebollo de Garay emphasised the urgent need for change:
“Ensuring the credibility and trustworthiness of these environmental claims and labels is crucial for enabling our consumers and citizens worldwide to make informed decisions."
The Voluntary Flight Emissions Label will establish a comprehensive methodology for calculating emissions based on real operational data, including aircraft type, passenger count, freight volume, aviation fuel consumption, and life cycle emissions.
Participating airlines will be able to display the labels on their websites, apps, and other points of sale, reflecting the digital nature of modern consumer interactions.
EU's Commitment to Sustainable Aviation
The European Commission's commitment to sustainability extends far beyond the Voluntary Flight Emissions Label. In particular, the EU has set an ambitious target to reduce transport emissions by at least 90% by 2050.
When it comes to aviation decarbonisation, Rebollo de Garay outlined four pillars:
More efficient aircraft,
Improved air traffic management
Sustainable aviation fuels
Economic/market-based measures
For example, the ReFuelEU Aviation regulation, in force since November 2023, is designed to deploy SAF at scale across the EU. It mandates fuel suppliers to progressively blend SAF into their jet fuel offerings at EU airports.
Starting at 2% in 2025, this requirement will increase to 6% by 2030. The initiative gets even more ambitious later: by 2050, 70% of all jet fuel used at EU airports must be SAF. The program also includes a sub-target for synthetic fuels.
Rebollo de Garay highlighted the significance of this regulation:
"ReFuelEU Aviation brings much-needed market certainty, allows for investments to happen, facilitates the large-scale deployment of SAF, and provides investors with an unprecedented 27 years of market certainty, which is unparalleled anywhere in the world."