MONTREAL, Aug. 31, 2023 /CNW/ - Air Canada today released the 2022 edition of Citizens of the World, detailing the airline's approach, commitments and progress respecting its environmental, social and governance activities and performance throughout 2022. The report also outlines Air Canada's ambitions for the future.
"Last year was a pivotal one for our business. We celebrated our 85th anniversary and recovered from the pandemic's effects on our industry, all while advancing our ESG priorities. As Canada's flag carrier, we connect Canada to the world, and we are acutely aware of the responsibility we have toward the communities we fly to and our planet. We have developed corporate priorities to improve our operations while caring for our customers, our employees and our communities, as well as preserving the planet we help people explore," said Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer at Air Canada.
"We believe in the importance of taking care of one another. We lift each other up by creating a safe, healthy and inclusive environment, where our colleagues can grow and thrive, and our customers always feel welcome. Our next chapters may be challenging, but we are as determined as ever to deliver the care and class that Air Canada is known for, in a sustainable way."
Citizens of the World, Air Canada's 2022 Corporate Sustainability Report, is available at aircanada.com/citizensoftheworld. It describes how the airline integrates environmental, social and governance factors into its daily operations through three sustainability pillars: Business, People and Planet. To ensure transparency, integrity and accountability, an independent third party was retained for a limited assurance engagement on select performance indicators.
Highlights of this year's report include:
- Agreement to purchase 30 ES-30 electric-hybrid regional aircraft under development by Heart Aerospace and to invest US$5 million (approximately C$7 million) in the company.
- Introduction of CHOOOSE, a global climate technology company, as our new carbon offset program provider, with the option for customers to purchase verified carbon offsets now seamlessly integrated into the airline's Canadian and U.S. booking websites.
- Investment of $6.75 million into Canada-based climate solutions company Carbon Engineering (CE), supporting the advancement of CE's direct air capture (DAC) technology that pulls carbon dioxide directly out of the air at large, industrial scale.
- Recruitment of eight corporate accounts (corporate and cargo) to the Leave Less Travel Program, designed for corporate customers and offering effective options to offset or reduce GHG emissions that are related to business travel and to reduce our carbon footprint.
- First report aligned to the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD), published in 2022.
- Air Canada was named one of the World's Best Employers and one of Canada's Best Diversity Employers by Forbes for 2022.
- Several Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) were formalized, providing representation and a conduit for employee feedback for various identity groups, and corporate ambassadors were introduced.
- 285 charities supported by the Air Canada Foundation in 2022 with over $1.6 million disbursed to 41 organizations that are focused on the health and well-being of children.
- Additional 250 community organizations were supported in 2022, as well as over 300 events, initiatives or memberships across Canada and internationally.
- More than 550 Air Canada employees participated in volunteer activities through the Air Canada Foundation.
Air Canada is Canada's largest airline, the country's flag carrier and a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network. Air Canada provides scheduled service directly to more than 180 airports in Canada, the United States and Internationally on six continents. It holds a Four-Star ranking from Skytrax. Air Canada's Aeroplan program is Canada's premier travel loyalty program, where members can earn or redeem points on the world's largest airline partner network of 45 airlines, plus through an extensive range of merchandise, hotel and car rental rewards. Its freight division, Air Canada Cargo, provides air freight lift and connectivity to hundreds of destinations across six continents using Air Canada's passenger and freighter aircraft. Air Canada aims to achieve an ambitious net zero emissions goal from all global operations by 2050. Air Canada shares are publicly traded on the TSX in Canada and the OCTQX in the U.S.
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