Launch builds on 2020 program which marked
first-in-the-US agreement with corporate partners to reduce
business travel emissions through sustainable aviation
fuels.
SEATTLE, Aug. 11,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines is taking the
next step in advancing sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) as part of
Alaska's Ever Green program for
improvements in environmental sustainability. Today, Alaska launched a program to engage its
corporate customers in the decarbonization journey through purchase
of SAF credits and continued efforts to expand education and
awareness about opportunities to improve the sustainability of
business travel including through use of SAF. The program builds on
a first-in-the-US program launched with Microsoft in 2020 to reduce
corporate business travel emissions through corporate
partnerships.
"Launching this program is another step toward our net zero goal
and an important step to bringing SAF to scale," said Diana Birkett Rakow, senior vice president of
public affairs and sustainability, Alaska Airlines. "While SAF is
imperative to aviation's decarbonization journey, there are
multiple barriers we must overcome to make SAF commercially-viable
at scale. We believe these barriers are best addressed when we work
together within the aviation community and across sectors. Our
goals with this program are to support our customers'
sustainability goals by providing SAF credits, to continue
increasing awareness of the barriers and opportunities to advancing
SAF, and to leverage the knowledge of this growing community to
accelerate our collective progress."
The program launches with participation from Microsoft, Boeing
and Washington State University (WSU).
Microsoft has also committed to reducing the scope 3 emissions of
their business travel with Alaska.
Program participants will further deepen the experience with pilot
book and claim systems and build upon those efforts to advance
awareness and education on sustainable travel topics among all
corporate customers.
"We are proud to build on our long-standing partnership with
Alaska, along with other corporate
and academic leaders like Microsoft and WSU, to help catalyze the
scaling of sustainable aviation fuel," said Sheila Remes, vice
president of environmental sustainability, Boeing. "We will need
700-1,000 times increase in the amount of SAF if we are to meet the
industry's commitment to net zero by 2050 and partnerships and new
ideas like these are critical to meeting that goal."
Alaska's program includes
Boeing and WSU as aviation and academic value chain partners to
share knowledge and advancements in sustainable business travel
with corporate participants. Together, participants will
collaborate to advance sustainability in business travel, increase
education and awareness, and identify and act on opportunities for
collective action.
"WSU has long been a national leader in climate and
sustainability research, including in the development and adoption
of SAF," said Kirk Schulz, president
of WSU. "We look forward to supporting this coalition of
forward-looking companies committed to decarbonizing air
travel."
SAF is currently available in volumes amounting to less than one
percent of total fuel use but is a safe, certified fuel that meets
all jet fuel standards and can reduce carbon emissions by as much
as 80% on a lifecycle basis. Through the program, Alaska intends to expand understanding of and
action to address some of the key barriers to scaling SAF
production such as feedstock accessibility, facilities,
transportation and storage, pricing, engine infrastructure and
demand from operations and customers. Additionally, participants
may tackle other topics related to sustainability in travel.
Last year, Alaska announced its
commitment and five-part roadmap to reduce the company's carbon
emissions to net-zero by 2040, including SAF as the most
significant opportunity to reduce carbon emissions over the next
few decades. Additionally, Alaska
set 2025 goals to improve its impact relative to carbon, waste, and
water.
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SOURCE Alaska Airlines