The Lufthansa Group enters into an pre-purchase agreement with Airbus for 40,000 tonnes of CO2 in verified and long-lasting carbon-removal credits.
Airbus and the Lufthansa Group have now inked a deal for the initiative to reduce CO2 emissions, pre-purchase of 40,000 tonnes of CO2 in verified and long-lasting carbon-removal credits. Airbus will provide the carbon-removal credits via its ACCO (Airbus Carbon Capture Offer) service. Innovative process that removes CO2 from the air and stores it permanently as a complementary instrument in the Lufthansa Group sustainability strategy
The technology known as Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage (DACCS) removes CO2 from the atmosphere and stores it indefinitely. It is thought to be a promising way to lower the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. Early on in the process, the Lufthansa Group was investigating this novel approach, which it now views as an additional tool for its sustainability plan.
Caroline Drischel, Head of Corporate Responsibility at the Lufthansa Group said, “The Lufthansa Group is strongly committed to making air transport more sustainable and to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. This includes billion-euro investments in continuous fleet modernization and our strong commitment to Sustainable Aviation Fuels. Technical CO2 removal solutions like advanced and direct carbon capture and storage processes will play a complementary role in achieving our decarbonization goals.”
Using powerful fans, direct air carbon capture and storage is a high-potential technology that removes CO2 emissions from the atmosphere directly. After being extracted from the atmosphere, CO2 is kept underground in saline geological formations. A direct air carbon capture and storage solution would enable the aviation industry to directly extract CO2 emissions from atmospheric air, as it is unable to capture CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere at the source.
Carbon removal is necessary to support the achievement of net-zero targets, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in addition to the extensive steps that companies are taking to reduce CO2 emissions. Technology for carbon capture is also a crucial component in the creation of sustainable aviation fuels.
Nicolas Chrétien, Head of Environment & Sustainability at Airbus said, “The Lufthansa Group was one of the very first aviation companies to work with Airbus to explore the potential of direct air carbon capture and storage solutions. As the aviation industry moves towards net zero CO2-emissions by 2050, carbon removal will play an important role in addressing remaining emissions. We are very pleased to go one step further with the Lufthansa Group and keep up the momentum to make decarbonized air travel a reality.”
Furthermore, the technology known as Direct Air Carbon Capture will play a significant role in the development of Sustainable Aviation Fuels of the future. For SAF production from renewable energies, CO2 is, for example, extracted from the atmosphere and processed further using the cutting-edge Power-to-Liquid or Sun-to-Liquid technologies. An infrastructure for direct air capture will be required for this. The implementation of Direct Air Capture infrastructures is a prerequisite for the development and anticipated success of SAF, according to IATA’s Infrastructure Roadmap. The Lufthansa Group is working on a number of projects to mature these next generation SAF technologies for the market.
The foundation of Airbus’ carbon-removal programme is its collaboration with 1PointFive, which entails the pre-purchasing of 400,000 tonnes of CO2 in carbon-removal credits to be delivered over a four-year period. The US-based business is collaborating closely with top organisations to create workable plans for achieving the world’s climate goals.
The Lufthansa Group aims high in terms of sustainability.
By 2050, the Lufthansa Group hopes to have achieved a neutral CO2 balance, having set high standards for climate protection. Through reduction and compensation measures, the Lufthansa Group aims to cut its net CO2 emissions by half by 2030 compared to 2019. In August 2022, the independent Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) confirmed the 2030 target’s reduction share. The first airline group in Europe to implement a science-based CO2 reduction target in line with the objectives of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement was the Lufthansa Group.
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The Lufthansa Group is concentrating on accelerated fleet modernization, the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), ongoing flight operations optimisation, and initiatives for its corporate and private customers to make flights or cargo transport more environmentally friendly in order to effectively combat climate change. Furthermore, the Lufthansa Group has long supported international weather and climate research. Independent rating agencies have given the Lufthansa Group’s sustainability commitment a positive rating, above the industry average.
