Sustainable development

Civil aviation emitted around 1 billion tonnes of CO₂ in 2019, or 2.4% of global emissions. The sector's emissions increased by 40% between 2005 and 2019, due to strong traffic growth, despite continuous improvements in the energy efficiency of aircraft, engines, and their operation. It is therefore urgent that air transport emissions start to decrease significantly, and Air France, whose emissions fell by 6% over the same period, is committed to playing a leading role in the sector's transition. 

Aviation also has non-CO₂ impacts on the climate. High-altitude emissions of soot particles can promote the formation of condensation trails or high-level clouds, which are short-lived (a few days to a few weeks, whereas CO₂ lasts for a century) but have a potentially intense warming effect. The impact of these effects is still subject to a large degree of uncertainty. Since sustainable aviation fuels emit less soot than fossil fuels, they could, according to several studies (Kärcher, Mahrt, Marcolli 2021), significantly reduce contrail formation. According to the most recent findings, the international scientific community estimates total aviation emissions to represent 4.9% of the total human contribution to global warming. (D.Lee et.al 2020)

Decarbonising air transport requires substantial investments, aviation being one of the most expensive sectors to decarbonise (reducing 1 tonne of CO₂ in the sector costs, for example, more than 5 times as much as in the energy production or agriculture sectors). However, decarbonisation is not an option. It represents a huge challenge and calls for the mobilisation of all those involved: airlines, aircraft and engine manufacturers, fuel suppliers, public authorities, as well as our customers.

These additional costs will probably be reflected in the price of air tickets. We will certainly have to pay more to fly in the future, but this will make it possible to travel with fewer greenhouse gas emissions. We recognise that this will be an additional effort on the part of our customers, and we are committed to informing them in a transparent way about the amount and concrete impact of their contribution to our emission reductions.

Raising our employees' awareness of environmental issues, and in particular climate change, is a major part of our sustainable development strategy. It is even a prerequisite: to provide solutions to a problem, it is necessary to start by understanding it.

However, as in many companies, most employees have not received any training on these topics during their higher education. Therefore since 2020, we have been deploying the Climate Fresk internally, collective intelligence workshops that enable people to understand the climate challenges based on scientific reference data. In addition, we have created specific training modules on the environmental challenges facing the airline industry and have set up a network of environmental advisors in each of the company's departments. Experience has shown us that the more our employees are aware of these issues, the more they are willing and able to act in their various jobs. It is, therefore, an essential tool for internal mobilization and the promotion of our environmental actions throughout the company.

• Reducing our noise footprint: It is our responsibility to minimize the noise pollution caused by our operations, which particularly affects the communities living near airports. Between 2000 and 2019, the Air France group reduced its noise footprint per flight by 45% on average, thanks to the modernisation of its aircraft and the optimisation of take-off and landing procedures. We will continue to reduce the noise footprint of our operations, particularly with the gradual  deployment of the Airbus 350 and 220, which are respectively 40% and 34% quieter than the aircraft they replace.
• Air quality: Air France monitors CO₂, nitrogen oxide and fine particle emissions at low altitudes, the effects of which can affect air quality around airports. Our actions to reduce them include the renewal of our aircraft, using electric ramp vehicles ((60% of our ramp vehicles at Roissy and Orly are now electric), single-engine taxiing on the runway, and the connection of the aircraft to electrical energy sources on the ground.
• Protecting biodiversity: by joining act4nature international, Air France is strengthening its commitment to the fight against the erosion of biodiversity.  We also have an important responsibility in the fight against the trafficking of protected species, which has disastrous consequences for endangered species. We are taking action by providing staff training and by raising awareness among our customers and we have signed the Buckingham Palace Declaration, which formalises our commitment.
• Waste: Air France is taking action to limit waste production and increase the proportion of waste recovered and recycled. The actions implemented are based on three principles: Recycle, Reduce, Recover. Beyond our commitment to eliminate 90% of single-use plastic by the end of 2022, by 2030, we are aiming for a 50% reduction in non-recycled waste compared to 2011. We recycle a maximum of waste on board (plastic bottles, cardboard juice boxes and aluminium cans), aeronautical metal waste, old seats and used staff uniforms. Finally, to avoid the destruction of products and encourage their re-use, Air France supports the Agence du Don en Nature (ADN), which is committed to the fight against exclusion in France.