How can you reduce your airline's carbon footprint through corporate social responsibility partnerships?

1 Benefits of CSR partnerships

CSR partnerships are strategic alliances between your airline and other entities, such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), suppliers, customers, or even competitors, that aim to create positive social and environmental impacts. By working with CSR partners, you can leverage their expertise, resources, networks, and credibility to enhance your sustainability performance and reputation. For example, you can partner with an NGO that works on climate change mitigation to offset your carbon emissions, or with a supplier that offers low-carbon fuels or materials to reduce your operational footprint. CSR partnerships can also help you gain a competitive edge, attract and retain customers and employees, and comply with regulations and standards.

2 How to find CSR partners

Finding the right CSR partners for your airline requires a clear understanding of your sustainability goals, values, and needs. You should also consider the potential benefits and risks of each partnership, such as the alignment of vision, mission, and culture, the compatibility of skills and resources, the accountability and transparency of actions and results, and the potential conflicts of interest or reputation. To identify potential CSR partners, you can use various sources, such as industry associations, CSR networks, media reports, awards, rankings, or recommendations. You can also conduct research on the social and environmental issues that affect your airline and your stakeholders, and look for organizations that address them.

3 How to evaluate CSR partners

Once you have a list of potential CSR partners, it is key to evaluate them based on criteria such as relevance, credibility, performance, and impact. Additionally, you should assess their suitability for your airline's objectives, culture, and resources. To do so, some questions that can be asked are: what are their sustainability goals, strategies, and achievements? How do they measure and report their social and environmental impacts? What are their values, principles, and standards of conduct? How do they engage with their stakeholders and the public? What are their expectations and requirements for the partnership? How do they manage risks and challenges in the partnership? How do they communicate and collaborate with their partners? Various tools and methods can be used to evaluate CSR partners such as interviews, surveys, audits, references or third-party certifications.

4 How to collaborate with CSR partners

Collaborating with CSR partners requires a clear and mutual agreement on the objectives, roles, responsibilities, and resources of each party. You should also establish a governance structure and a communication plan for the partnership, as well as a monitoring and evaluation system to track the progress and outcomes of the partnership. You should also be flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances and feedback, and be ready to address any issues or conflicts that may arise. To ensure a successful and lasting partnership, you should also recognize and celebrate the achievements and contributions of your CSR partners, and seek opportunities to learn from them and improve your practices.

5 How to communicate your CSR partnerships

Communicating your CSR partnerships is essential to showcase your commitment and actions to reduce your carbon footprint, and to build trust and credibility with your stakeholders. You should communicate your CSR partnerships in a transparent, accurate, and consistent manner, and use various channels and formats, such as reports, websites, social media, newsletters, press releases, or events. You should also highlight the benefits and impacts of your CSR partnerships, both for your airline and for the society and the environment. You should also invite feedback and dialogue from your stakeholders, and acknowledge their expectations and concerns.

6 Examples of CSR partnerships

The aviation industry provides a number of inspiring examples of CSR partnerships. For instance, Delta Air Lines is working with The Nature Conservancy to protect forests in South America and offset some of its carbon emissions. United Airlines has partnered with Fulcrum BioEnergy to invest in sustainable aviation fuel made from municipal solid waste, while Air France-KLM is collaborating with the Solar Impulse Foundation to promote innovative solutions for a low-carbon economy. Lufthansa Group, meanwhile, has teamed up with Help Alliance to support social and environmental initiatives in developing countries, as well as encouraging its employees and customers to volunteer and fundraise.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?