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Industry Shows Progress on Sustainability

[ March 1, 2024   //   ]

The International Air Cargo Association’s fourth comprehensive study on the air cargo industry’s sustainability position shows progress, but “we still have quite a bit of work to do,” said TIACA Chairman Steven Polmans.
The survey, which involves supply chain partners from across the globe and from each industry sector and business size, reflects the work of the Sustainability Program and the development of new projects that support a sustainable air cargo industry.
“The Insights Report allows us to see how far we have come from the initial launch four years ago to where we are today as well as areas that we need to put more focus on,” Polmans said.
Among the highlights:
• C-suite prioritize sustainability: 91 percent of the respondents confirm it is supported by their CEO, 81 percent by their CFO and 97 percent highlight sustainability is equally or more important than last year.
• Companies see a clear link between their ESG performance and their reputation (85 percent) and attractiveness (73 percent) but less so for their bottom-line (39 percent).
• Pressure from regulators increases year on year: only 37 percent of 2021 respondents indicated regulatory pressure while it is now 61 percent.
• While 71 percent have a sustainability strategy, this number hides notable differences between large (92 percent) and small companies (46 percent).
• Of companies with a sustainability strategy, 74 percent feel that sustainability is embedded in their company’s DNA.
• Sustainability reporting becomes the norm: 79 percent (from 70 percent last year) measure their progress on sustainability targets, and 81 percent of them produce a sustainability report.
• The air cargo industry first tackles efficiencies and operational excellence with innovation and digitalization fueling the modernization efforts.
• The industry continues investing in its people through training programs (79 percent) and employee well-being (76 percent), while 70 percent declare they take action to advance their diversity and inclusion credentials.
• Seventy-one percent of airports confirm they are transitioning to green buildings, and 79 percent are actively tackling their water management issues and 80% focusing on reducing their noise footprint.
• Offsetting gains some traction, probably due to mandatory schemes with 43 percent of companies using offsetting mechanisms.
The report classifies the various aspects of sustainability into three key areas; encompassing critical items to operate successfully, essential items to grow and a wide range of exemplary areas to differentiate.
The report underlines the industry’s emphasis on sustainability and supports TIACA’s Sustainability Program.
“We are committed to continuing to support the industry through the Sustainability Program’s robust portfolio and will maintain our investment in projects such as BlueSky, the Sustainability Awards, the Sustainability Roadmap and the annual survey and publication of the Insights Report,” said Glyn Hughes, TIACA director general. “We look forward to the launch of new projects that will continue to support the industry’s sustainability path including the Invest In Climate Action and the Air Cargo Training Library platforms,” which recently launched, he added.
TIACA fully supports the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals which is a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.”

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