CSR STRATEGY
We integrate Corporate Social Responsibility in business and operations. Discover here our key actions.
Each year, Air France-KLM Group publishes the Corporate social responsibility report.

For many years Air France has been aware of the need to take action to support the environment, and has set itself the objective of attaining a sustainable balance between industrial growth and a reduced environmental footprint. In 1996, Air France published its first Environmental Report.
This annual exercise gradually broadened into the different components of a sustainable development, covering the scope of the Air France-KLM group since 2004.

Aviation’s contribution to CO2 emissions is estimated at between 2 and 3%.
In order to reduce its environmental footprint, Air France is committed to taking concrete action to reduce its CO2 emissions.
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-69 TCO2/Year - 1kg on board
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-23 KG/PLANEdigitalization of Pilots paper documentation
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-3000 TCO2/Year -6 millions of magazines on board
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60 A220-300will gradually replace the A318s and A319s
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38 A350-900the first joined the fleet on 27 September 2019
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9 B787the 10th one expected in 2020

OUR FLIGHT PLAN FOR DECARBONATION
CO2 offsetting helps to reduce the impact of our emissions on the planet :
- Regulatory
- Proactive
- Voluntary.
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8Projects in partnership with EcoAct.
Worldwide -
Marajó forest preservation project in Brazil,
Floresta de Portel deforestation prevention project in Brazil,
Cardamom Forest biodiversity protection project in Cambodia,
Kitalu tree-planting, rural development and CO2 emissions reduction programme in Kenya,
Hifadhi-Livelihoods forest preservation and economic development project in Kenya,
Gandhi wind energy project in India.Find out more about our EcoAct partner
France -
Afforestation project in Lerm-et-Musset in Gironde
A R&D programme for implementing mangrove plantation projects in French overseas departments and regions
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110000Planted trees in 2019
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25 000Trip and Tree donors
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1tree captures approx. 100kg of CO2TRIP AND TREE

AF acts to limit the production of waste and increase the proportion of recovered and recycled waste.
The actions implemented are based on 3 principles:
- Recycle,
- Reduce,
- Recover.
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recycleAir France Recycles
OBJECTIVE FOR 2030 : 50% less non-recycled waste in 2030 compared to 2011
RECYCLE
Selective waste sorting on board
Since 1 October 2019, Air France has been committed to the selective sorting of waste on board. Waste sorting, carried out on all short, medium and long-haul flights to Paris, concerns plastic bottles, cardboard juice cartons and aluminium cans. Items are sorted on board by the cabin crew, then collected by Servair at Paris-CDG and Paris-Orly, and recycled in France or Europe. The possibility of extending this initiative to flights departing from Paris is being studied on the basis of a regulatory and operational analysis of each destination.Recycling of aviation scrap metal
As far as possible, the "cradle-to-cradle" principle (or "permanent recycling" principle) is applied to reintegrate the waste into a new production cycle. (e.g. reuse and recovery of spare parts). This programme is extended to other types of waste, such as furniture, equipment, pallets and blankets.Recycling of used uniforms
A permanent collection circuit for Air France uniforms and work clothes has been set up. Staff are therefore invited to deposit uniforms and work clothes in secure containers on Air France premises. The uniforms are collected at various sites (30.2 tonnes of textiles since September 2018 at Roissy) and are recovered by various partners, including an ESAT (a vocational centre for workers with disabilities), and then recycled.
The uniforms are collected, recycled and recovered for energy in the form of textile pellets, while the ashes are used in the manufacture of cement. In addition, employees have launched the "100% Uniforms" initiative to recycle uniforms to make other products, such as the new collection of non-aeronautical accessories (pouches, etc.).Processing old seats
During the move upmarket of the medium and long-haul cabins, this process enabled the reuse and recovery of spare parts and the recycling of seat foam and metals. -
reduceAir France Reduces
REDUCE
Tackling plastic
In 2019, to reduce its environmental footprint, Air France has set itself the objective of replacing 80% of single-use plastics with sustainable alternatives by 2025, while complying with the regulatory and health constraints imposed on airlines.
By the end of 2019, Air France will have eliminated 210 million single-use plastic items, i.e. 1,300 tonnes (100 million plastic cups replaced by paper cups, 85 million plastic cutlery items replaced by cutlery manufactured and packaged from bio-sourced materials, 25 million plastic stirrers replaced by wooden stirrers).
The company has stopped distributing plastic straws since 2015, i.e. a reduction of 1.3 million.Since 2018, Air France has also been offering "Bon appétit" bags to replace the plate and cutlery kit used for the second long-haul meal.
Reducing food waste
There are two main ways to reduce food waste: the adjustment of on-board services and a strict policy of stock management.
Based on flight load statistics and passenger habits, AF is able to prevent waste and reduce production and transport costs, as well as on-board weight, therefore reducing CO2 emissions.Digital innovations provide a better idea of customer demand, such as the pre-selection of hot dishes in the Air France Business cabin.
In addition, when certain food products or items can no longer be used on board, they are donated to charities. Air France supports the Restos du Cœur and Food Banks.The Cargo division is also involved in the fight against food waste
Air France KLM Martinair Cargo is an active player in the transport of perishable products. The teams are in constant contact with all the players in the chain (producers, exporters, importers, supermarkets, airport authorities, etc.) in order to promote the sustainable development of the agricultural sector and air transport. Numerous initiatives are underway -
RecoverAir France Recovers
RECOVER
In order to avoid the destruction of products and encourage their reuse, Air France signed a framework agreement with the Agence du Don en Nature (ADN) in January 2017.
By donating new, reformed products such as crockery, or reconditioned products such as blankets, Air France supports the actions of the association ADN, which collects and redistributes new non-food products in order to fight exclusion in France.
In 2019, when the Air France cabin interiors were modified, more than 25,000 business class blankets were donated to ADN.
In addition, when Joon ceased operations, more than 6,500 items of Joon uniform were recycled via a donation to the association SAMU Social.
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210 Milliondisposable plastic items phased out by the end of 2019
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+30 Tof textile from recycled uniforms
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80 %less single-use plastics by 2025

Investing in research and innovation
The aviation sector faces technological challenges for which massive research and development resources are required.
Air France is committed to this initiative and wishes to develop solutions for a sustainable aviation sector.
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Biofuelthe future of fuel
The use of sustainable alternative fuels is a promising way to reduce CO2 emissions.
They will be essential for Air France and the entire sector to achieve their objectives.To do this, Air France wishes to :
1. Promote the emergence of a French aviation biofuel sector in a progressive way with support mechanisms:
- for a biofuel that does not compete with the food chain and whose production cycle meets strict sustainability criteria;
- by developing a circular economy dynamic within the territories to promote job creation;
- with incentives at a national, European and international level.
2. Progressively introduce biofuel for its flights.
In 2013, at the Paris Air Show, Air France, together with Airbus, Safran and Total organized the flight "Joining our Energies - Biofuel Initiative France" to illustrate the technical capacity of French industry to integrate aviation biofuels.
The demonstration flight between Toulouse and Le Bourget was operated by an Airbus A321 using a biofuel produced from an innovative sugar processing technology.
In 2017, Air France signed a Green Growth Commitment (GGC) with the Ministries of Ecological and Social Transition, Transport and Economy and Finance, as well as four other major French industrial groups (Airbus, Safran, Suez and Total).
This GGC aims to promote the emergence of sustainable aviation fuel industries in France, under economically viable conditions and is firmly in line with the principles of the circular economy.
In January 2020, the conclusions of this GGC were published along with a French government roadmap, on the basis of the GGC's recommendations, to set the principles and ambition for the integration of sustainable aviation fuel and the launch of a call for expressions of interest for the construction of production sites in France.
In this way, Air France is demonstrating its ambition to gradually supply its flights with biofuel. At present, this alternative fuel costs 3 to 5 times more than traditional fuel. More than ever, Air France is promoting and innovating for an economically viable French biofuel industry.
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Solar Impulse FoundationThe Foundation
In December 2019, Air France signed a partnership with the Solar Impulse Foundation to accelerate the implementation of economically and environmentally sustainable solutions in the aviation field.
The Solar Impulse Foundation's ambition is to find 1,000 efficient solutions to protect the environment in all areas. As far as aviation is concerned, with Air France, the search for innovations will focus on 6 main areas:
- The carbon footprint
- Energy Efficiency
- Sound Emissions
- Waste reduction
- Ground operations
- The future of aviation and new energies
Examined by a committee of experts, solutions that prove both their ecological benefit and their economic viability will be awarded the "Solar Impulse Foundation" label.
For the aviation industry, some of the solutions awarded the label may be adopted by Air France. And all of them will be made available to the aviation industry.
Air France has already adopted one of them,
- with the PROGNOS solution, developed by Air France Industries KLM Engineering and Maintenance, which has received the Solar Impulse label.
This predictive analysis programme relies on big data technologies to offer an efficient and innovative aviation maintenance service. The environmental benefits of PROGNOS are the reduction of flight cancellations which generate additional flights to recover passengers, as well as the reduction of the number of "Quick Return Flights" (when the aircraft returns to its departure airport) due to a technical problem, which requires the emptying of fuel tanks before landing.
The solution also optimizes the overall fuel consumption of the aircraft by controlling the condition of equipment more precisely.
- The Open Airlines start-up has developed a solution (Skybreathe),
which has also received the Solar Impulse label. It is an eco-piloting tool that collects very large quantities of flight data from black boxes and flight data recording equipment. This comprehensive data serves to analyze flight safety practices and extract parameters aimed at defining possible actions that could reduce fuel consumption and Greenhouse gas emissions.
- The OptiDirect app developed by the SafetyLine company.
Air France has assisted with the integration of this eco-piloting system into its tools (pilots have had access to this app in their cockpits since early 2020).
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All Electric AircraftPipistrel Alpha Electro
The Air France-KLM Group's maintenance division is one of the experts brought together by the French Aeronautical Federation (FFA) to study the use of electric aircraft in real flying conditions in a flying club: the Pipistrel Alpha Electro, a single-engine, two-seater, fully electric light aircraft.
The company is putting the expertise of its mechanics and technicians at the service of this new aircraft.
The study of this type of aircraft is part of the efforts made by the entire aviation industry to limit the environmental footprint of the aviation sector, particularly in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and noise pollution for those living near airports.
In June 2020, a major milestone was reached with the certification of the Pipistrel aircraft by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), making it the first all-electric aircraft in the world to obtain certification.
To find out more about the partnership between AFI KLM E&M and the FFA

Air France monitors the atmospheric emissions from its ground and air operations, including low altitude emissions that affect air quality around airports.
Air France has also been taking part in the air protection plan in the Paris region since 2008 through its mobility plan.
The implementation of mobility plans in the French regions has also begun.

The impact of air transport on biodiversity is particularly linked to the effects of climate change induced by the CO2 emissions it generates. (Read about all of our actions in the "reduce our CO2 emissions" section).
However, in addition to reducing its environmental footprint, Air France deploys other means to defend biodiversity:
- reforestation,
- attention paid to airport zones,
- and the fight against the traffic of protected species.

Today’s world is changing, and it’s changing fast. Innovation and technology are strong pillars for Air France-KLM to integrate sustainability in the customer experience.

As a major purchaser of diverse products and services, we take ownership of our choices. We aim to integrate sustainability in our supply chain by sourcing products and services that minimize our environmental footprint and have a positive social impact.
Working together with around 3,900 suppliers, a proactive procurement strategy is essential. The most significant purchases are aircraft, fuel, ICT, airport and navigation fees, onboard products and Engineering & Maintenance. Given the significant amounts spent, we make optimisation, innovation and the integration of CSR in the supply chain our main priorities.

Our employees are encouraged to contribute to the Group strategy by putting forward ideas and suggestions.
Getting teams involved in the planning and implementation of various projects is envisaged as a long-term approach, which testifies to our ambition to bring about deep changes in the way we work.