Qantas marks WED with carbon emission offsetting

Qantas will offset the carbon emissions of all domestic flights today, 5 June, World Environment Day, as the national carrier launches a series of new sustainability initiatives.

Qantas is restoring its Fly Carbon Neutral program, which gives customers the option of paying a small amount to offset the emissions associated with their flight, with all proceeds going to community projects which generate carbon credits.

Qantas will replace all lighting in operational areas with energy-efficient LED lights, revamp its domestic onboard recycling program to reduce waste to landfill, and introduce new, lightweight freight containers that will cut fuel consumption.

The airline has launched a revamped onboard recycling program on domestic services, where all recyclable waste on Boeing 737 and Airbus A330 craft will be separated onboard and then disposed of as green waste.

Qantas head of environment, Alan Milne, said: “We’re hoping that, by offsetting the emissions of all our domestic flights on World Environment Day, we’ll raise awareness in the community about creating a more sustainable future.”

“We acknowledge aviation is a significant contributor of carbon emissions, which is why we are working hard to reduce our environmental impact. We’re currently replacing fluorescent tube lighting with energy efficient LED lights in our airports, hangars, ramp areas, warehouses and flight simulators nationally, which will reduce our energy consumption by more than 13 million kilowatt hours and save our business more than $2 million per year.”