Every airline flight produces carbon dioxide (CO2), which contributes to climate change. Air Canada recognized that travel is an essential component of conducting business, and wanted to provide corporate customers the option of offsetting the negative effects of their travel.
“Air Canada is the country’s preferred airline for business travel, so it is uniquely positioned to help environmentally-conscious companies achieve their green objectives,” said Charles McKee, Vice President, Marketing, Air Canada.
Recent attention on climate change and carbon emissions present new challenges for businesses that are not accustom to considering the company’s environmental impact. Forward-thinking organizations see these new environmental challenges as a positive change. These companies are using the trend to highlight their commitment to the environment, and emerge as green leaders.
“Developing strategies now that will manage the potential risks that carbon poses in the future, will help keep your business competitive and ahead of the curve,” said McKee.
Companies that purchase offsets through the Air Canada’s partnership with Zerofootprint fund projects that result in measurable, verified reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Zerofootprint’s number one priority is accountability, and all of the projects offered in the have met the following Blue Chip criteria:
Additional: the project creates a measurable decrease in carbon emissions that would not otherwise have taken place
Certification: the project has been certified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), or its equivalent, and has been fully audited by an independent body.
Credible Registry: the project sits in a credible registry that retires offsets when they are purchased.
Risk Management: proper risk management and high standards of project management are employed at all times on project sites.
Carbon Leakage: all possibilities of unanticipated CO2 emissions have been accounted for by an in-house group of graduate-level climate and environmental scientists
Sustainability: the project will make a meaningful contribution to the long-term sustainability of the communities in which it exists.
Air Canada and Zerofootprint intend to make all these programs available to individual, retail customers in the near future. For information on these initiatives, please visit: www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/traveller/zfp.html or www.zerofootprintflights.com