LATAM has published its new Sustainability Strategy, in which it commits to being carbon neutral by the middle of the century.
Ahead of this target the airline group says it eliminate its use of single-use plastics by 2023, stop sending waste to landfill by 2027, and offset 50 per cent of its domestic carbon emissions by 2030.
The commitments are part of a wider programme consisting of four core pillars – Environmental Management, Climate Change, Circular Economy and Shared Value.
LATAM is collaborating with global environmental organisation The Nature Conservancy, “to plan conservation and reforestation actions in iconic ecosystems in the region”, and the group will also work to reduce its emissions “through the incorporation of sustainable fuels and new aviation technologies”, which it expects to be available in 2035.
But CEO Roberto Alvo warned that “The environment cannot wait 15 years to have the necessary technologies to reduce emissions”.
“This is why we will work in parallel to promote these transformations and offset our emissions through nature-based solutions,” he added.
In addition the group will push its programme allowing individual passengers, as well as corporate and cargo customers, to offset the CO2 emissions associated with their trip. LATAM has pledged to match the emissions offsets of its customers.
Onboard recycling will be expended to all domestic routes, and materials used inflight will be replaced with compostable, recyclable or certified items.
The “shared value” pillar of its strategy will see the group expand its capacity to transport cargo and people for health programmes, natural disasters and environmental care. LATAM said that since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic the group had transported more than 29.4 million vaccines free of charge, as well as over 1,400 health professionals, more than 490 tonnes of medical supplies, and over 1,500 organs and tissues in South America.
“We are facing a critical moment in the history of humanity, with a serious climate crisis and a pandemic that has changed our society,” said Alvo.
“Today, it is not enough to do the usual. As a group we have the responsibility to go further in the search for collective solutions. We want to be an actor that promotes the social, environmental and economic development of the region; therefore, we are assuming a commitment that seeks to contribute to the conservation of ecosystems and the well-being of the people of South America, making it a better place for all of them.”
More information on the group’s commitments, as well as a campaign video entitled ‘A Necessary Destination’, can be seen here.
Last month the Malaysia Airlines Group also published its Sustainability Blueprint, which similarly aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
latam.com
