Iberia Group customers can now understand and address the carbon emissions of their flights

October 23, 2022

News

The Iberia Group has launched its CO2labora program, through which its customers will be able to understand and address the emissions from their flights by supporting certified climate projects. The current climate project options include one in Guatemala and the other in Peru.

Customers who decide to offset their carbon footprint can also decide which routes of their travel journey they want to compensate for. Through the Iberia Group's carbon footprint calculator, customers will know the emissions of their trip and can choose to support certified climate projects with an equivalent monetary investment.

High-precision calculations

This footprint calculation, measured in CO2e, is made taking into account four variables:

Type of aircraft

The aircraft used on each flight is one of the factors that determines the flight’s carbon footprint. For this reason, the Iberia Group is renewing its fleet and incorporating the most advanced and efficient aircraft on the market.

Meteorology

Weather conditions are a key factor in calculating a carbon footprint that is as realistic as possible. It requires more energy to fly against the wind, for example.

Efficiency of operations

The efficiency of an airline’s operations can impact the carbon emissions of all of its flights. To achieve more efficient operations, the Iberia Group has launched initiatives to reduce fuel consumption, more sustainable flight operations and weight reduction on board aircraft, among others.

Cabin type

The carbon footprint also varies if the customer flies Economy, Economy Premium or Business class because different seats in various aircraft take up different amounts of space.

How to address your carbon footprint

Iberia and Iberia Express customers can address their carbon footprint at the end of the purchase process or after the flight has been made by visiting the Sustainability sections of iberia.com and iberiaexpress.com.

Two certified climate programs

There are currently two projects that Iberia customers can choose to support.

Located in Izabal, on the Caribbean coast of Guatemala, one project promotes the creation of new nature reserves and maintains existing natural forests that are threatened by deforestation and unsustainable land use activities.

Izabal is a wintering and stopover area for more than 120 species of migratory birds, which makes it a relevant area for biodiversity conservation. Contributions from Grupo Iberia clients serve to protect agroforestry ecosystems and favour the growth of ecotourism, in addition to providing resources to monitor the area and support community development programs.

On the edge of the Peruvian Amazon jungle is the second certified project with which Grupo Iberia passengers can support. Seven indigenous communities belonging to the Shipibo-Conibo and Cacataibo ethnic groups are settled around the Ucayali River and manage an area of 119,837 hectares of tropical forest. This project supports the development of socially inclusive companies, promotes the proper use of communal lands, and favours capacity building for the management of natural resources.

The decarbonization of the aviation sector

CO2labora is part of the Iberia Group's strategy to advance in the decarbonisation of the aviation sector and which is being developed on four pillars:

  • The sustainable transition of the aviation sector includes fleet renewal initiatives, more efficient operations, and the use of sustainable aviation fuels, among other initiatives.
  • The creation of a more sustainable travel experience for customers through the digitization of services, the progressive elimination of plastics on board, the development of its waste management system and the compensation of the carbon footprint.
  • Training, awareness and participation in sustainability matters for Iberia employees, aiming to turn them into ambassadors of its strategy.
  • Commitment to society, valuing everything that aviation contributes to society through connectivity, and support for R&D&i research with the Iberia Chair.

Social and environmental sustainability is also one of the pillars in Iberia's strategic plan for the next three years, Next Chapter, which, with the commitment of its employees, will allow the airline to ensure its financial strength, position itself as the preferred airline among travellers, strengthen its position in the Madrid hub, and advance in the sustainability transition of the airline sector.

Iberia Corporate Programme

Iberia Group has developed this platform in collaboration with CHOOOSE. In April, CHOOOSE and Iberia launched a compensation program for corporate clients which allows them to access monthly reports with the record of the carbon footprint of their trips and to offset that footprint by supporting the two certified projects located in Guatemala and Peru. The Iberia Offsetting Programme enables your organisation to travel more responsibly by offsetting your travel emissions through trusted, high-impact climate solutions.

About us: CHOOOSE™ is a venture-backed leader in technology-based climate action, building digital tools so that everyone, anywhere, can easily integrate climate action into everyday life and business. Through flexible integrations, customer-friendly interfaces, automated carbon measurement, and a connected marketplace of climate solutions, CHOOOSE delivers a complete platform that enables its partners to build and manage high-impact climate programs. Learn more at www.chooose.today.