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• Both individuals and corporations are increasingly aware of the need to reduce their carbon footprint
• This is true for airlines as well. The industry is constantly improving fuel efficiency but passengers and corporate customers also want the opportunity to offset their own emissions created by flying
• Carbon offsets give passengers the opportunity to compensate for their emissions by paying someone to make an equivalent greenhouse gas saving
• Passengers offset their share of a flight’s emissions by investing in carbon reduction projects that generate carbon credits
• Carbon offsetting is entirely voluntary for passengers
• Over 30 airlines run offset programs with different methodologies for calculating emissions and different criteria for offset projects
• Pick up rates (where reported) tend to be low
• This has created the need for a high quality, credible and transparent offset program for airlines

IATA offset program

• IATA launched an industry-wide Carbon Offset Program (pdf) to meet this demand
• IATA’s carbon offset program offers:
  • Greater clarity to passengers on where their money is going
  • Standard methodologies, best practice
  • Single customer purchase transactions
  • Offset tracking
  • Investing in credible emission reduction projects
  • Independent verification of the program

Managing the IATA carbon offset program

• CO2 emission calculator is based on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) methodology
• IATA identifies and quality controls the CO2 projects including
• Arranging carbon credit purchase
• Project selection
• Provision of project information for marketing purposes
• Management and provision of CO2 offset tracking

Current status

• Offset guidelines have been produced www.iata.org/environment
• 19 IATA airlines have signed up to the program
• TAP was the launch airline in June 2009 and was given UNESCO “Planet Earth Award 2010” in the category “Most Innovative Sustainable Product”
• The IATA program is accredited under the UK Government’s offset quality assurance scheme, including endorsement of the IATA carbon calculator tool
  

Updated: December 2011