Report shows sustainability and profits go hand in hand
Issue #12 of Sustainability in the Air Newsletter
In our recent white paper, we gave the example of a study where people who were told they were listening on sustainable headphones enjoyed music more than people who thought they had standard headphones on.
This is part of a growing body of research that shows that people think more positively about brands if there’s an overt sustainability factor involved.
This extends to airlines.
Before the pandemic, easyJet reported an 11% increase in customers saying they will choose the airline again, once they were aware of easyJet’s carbon offsetting policy.
As a result, sustainability helps build brands, and that in turn impacts the button line.
Technology company NTT came to the same conclusion in its recently published report “Innovating for a Sustainable Future”.
500 companies worldwide took part in a study. 44% experienced improved profitability due to sustainability programs.
NTT says that this discovery shows that sustainability programmes and business imperatives can go hand in hand to deliver better financial results.
At SimpliFlying, we think of five net zero pillars in any airline sustainability programme:
Fleet renewal
SAF
Innovation (e.g. electric / hydrogen aircraft)
Carbon offsetting
Operational efficiencies
The reality is that fleet renewal and making operational changes saves money in the long run, and here NTT found that 33% of organisations reported decreased costs due to increased efficiencies.
As we detailed in our white paper, the push factors (consumer and increasingly, Governmental and investor pressure) matter, but the sustainability pull factors (improved brand perception, more sales, cost reduction) should be a more compelling reason for airlines to speed up their sustainability programmes.
Positive story of the day
Airbus Outlines Five Ways U.S. Airlines Can Meet 2050 Net-Zero Commitment (Forbes)
Sustainability news
Airline Fleets Are Back in Growth Mode with a Focus on Sustainability (Marsh McLennan)
Air New Zealand appoints sustainability officer, her biggest challenges (Simple Flying)
ANA earmarks two 787s for sustainability initiatives (Flight Global)
Emirates highlights progress of sustainable inflight initiatives (Breaking Travel News)
Iberia makes first long-haul flight using SAF in partnership with Repsol (Biofuels International)
India may be missing the sustainable travel bus (The Hindu)