A closer look at what a sustainable future means for Airbus and Boeing.
Sustainability goals for large enterprises are a bit like fitness goals for individuals: ambitious and well-intentioned, but easily put off in the face of more immediate concerns, such as an all-you-can-eat buffet or an executive compensation package consisting mostly of stock options.
The two largest aerospace companies – Airbus and Boeing – both have lofty goals for reducing their carbon emissions and becoming more sustainable, but many of their targets are set for 2050. To put that in perspective, based on average life expectancy in the United States, anyone reading this article today over the age of 53 is unlikely to be alive to see whether or not those targets are achieved.
Apropos of nothing, the average age of a C-suite executive is 56.
So, rather than looking to the far future, let’s focus on the targets for 2030 and what Airbus and Boeing have committed to achieving in sustainability initiatives over the next five years.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions in aerospace
While it’s certainly not the only measure of sustainability, reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – particularly CO2 – is frequently a top line item in the sustainability goals of large enterprises. Airbus and Boeing are no exceptions, with both manufacturers setting targets for their Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions.
- Scope 1: emissions from sources an organization owns or controls directly
- Scope 2: emissions caused indirectly as a result of energy purchased for operations
- Scope 3: emissions generated as part of an organization’s supply chain
Airbus has stated that it’s aiming to reduce Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 63% and Scope 3 emissions by 46% by 2030, using 2015 as its baseline year. Meanwhile, Boeing has stated that it’s aiming to reduce Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 55% by 2030 using 2017 as its baseline. The company has also pledged to switch to 100% renewable electricity “purchased directly and via renewable energy credits” by 2030.
For Airbus, that amounts to an average reduction of 4.2% per year for Scope 1 and 2 emissions and 3.1% per year for Scope 3 emissions. Coincidentally (but probably not), Boeing’s average annual reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions works out to the same amount: 4.2%.
This puts both companies slightly ahead of the targets from the Paris Agreement in 2015, which settled on a 45% reduction (i.e., 3% annually) in GHG emissions globally by 2030.
Sustainable aviation fuel
Arguably the most immediately impactful effort Airbus and Boeing can make involves the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), a synthetic jet fuel similar to kerosene but made from renewable feedstocks, such as used cooking oil and agricultural waste. According to Airbus, SAF can reduce CO2 equivalent emissions by up to 80% on average compared to traditional jet fuel.
Currently, Airbus aircraft can operate a mixture of up to 50% SAF and traditional jet fuel, but the company has committed to being able to operate on 100% SAF by 2030. Meanwhile, Boeing stated in 2024 that its military aircraft can operate on SAF up to an approved 50% blend limit and has similarly committed to all production commercial airplanes being 100% SAF compatible by 2030.
Of course, there’s a big difference between compatibility and implementation, and a 2023 report by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) stated that SAFs accounted for less than 0.1% of all aviation fuels consumed. This may be due, in part, to the fact that SAFs are considerably more expensive than traditional jet fuel – as much as triple the cost, according to some estimates.
Other sustainability efforts in aerospace
Airbus and Boeing have both made a variety of other sustainability commitments. In order of their likelihood to contribute to sustainability over the next five years, these include incorporating recycled parts and materials into new aircraft construction, new propulsion systems that use hydrogen fuel cells or electricity, and investing in carbon capture and storage technologies.
Setting cynicism aside for a moment (with much reluctance), it’s clear that sustainability does matter to the aerospace industry. The two largest aircraft manufacturers in the world have made significant commitments to achieving their sustainability goals in the next five years, and where Airbus and Boeing lead, the rest of the aerospace industry follows. There’s no question that there’s much more that could be done (getting rid of private jets for example) but, hopefully, we’re on the right track to meet our targets for 2030.
