Virgin Atlantic’s Carbon Down, Profits Up

Virgin Atlantic’s greenhouse gas emissions have dropped 12 percent since 2007, according to the company’s 2015 “Change is in the Air” sustainability report.

In 2014, Virgin Atlantic operated more flights and carried more people than any year since 2007 while it’s absolute carbon footprint was down 12 percent since this baseline.

Virgin says this can largely be attributed to the airline’s $7 billion investment in fuel and carbon efficient Airbus 330-300 and Boeing 787-9 fleet. By the end of last year, Virgin Atlantic had taken delivery of its first two of at least 17 Dreamliner aircraft, which are already proving to be about 30 percent more efficient than the aircraft they have replaced.

The report shows Virgin Atlantic is moving towards its target of achieving 30 percent savings in CO2 for every metric ton of passengers and cargo flown between 2007 and 2020.

The report also shows:

• The airline has cut its energy use across all its UK sites by 23 percent since 2008-09, exceeding its 2014-15 targets by almost 12 percent.
• The airline has diverted 92 percent of its ground waste from landfill. This includes food waste, which is now segregated and sent to anaerobic digesters. The airline also recycles aircraft waste including recycling aircraft seat foams into carpet underlay.
• The airline has sustainably-sourced food and drink onboard and in its Clubhouses, with standards including fair trade, animal welfare, sustainable fish, palm oil and soy.