Professional Documents
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SUSTAINABLE
AVIATION INDUSTRY
Content
Introduction3 The search for sustainable 17
alternatives
Aviation’s contribution 4
to climate change E-fuels could be part of 20
the answer
Growing pressure for 7
sustainable actions No single silver-bullet 24
2
Introduction
Last Autumn at a student science The result was hardly unexpected, yet it was telling how emphatic
event in London, an Accenture the students were with their answers and how quickly the answers
came. Upon retelling the story to a colleague with a long career in the
team asked four different groups
industry, he ominously remarked, “yes, my grandchildren no longer
of secondary students what they think flying is cool.” Throughout the world, aviation is on the backfoot
thought the biggest challenge was in the climate debate.
facing the aviation industry. Their
answers were as consistent as Although passenger traffic is currently at its lowest levels since the
they were unequivocal: pollution, 1970s due to the ongoing pandemic, the need for action has not
emissions, global warming – each gone away. As the industry recovers, Accenture believes that new
answer pointed to a growing initiatives, innovative technology, and proactive policies can lay
the foundation for a truly sustainable aviation industry.
concern on the impact of aviation
on the health of the planet.
3
AVIATION’S
CONTRIBUTION TO
CLIMATE CHANGE 4
In 2019, the aviation industry accounted for about 2% of global
carbon-dioxide emissions according to IATA1. Most of this CO2
comes directly from the fuel aircraft burn, with the industry
consuming nearly a billion litres of fuel each day in 2019.
Tangential activities (such as airports, ground vehicles, catering)
also contribute to emissions, but these are generally small
compared to fuel burn. A typical airport, for example, generates
less than 1% of the CO2 caused by aircraft serving this airport2.
Residential &
As other industries continue to reduce emissions, aviation is on commercial
-21%
course to represent a larger portion of CO2 output. Accenture
has forecasted global CO2 emissions from aviation to increase
Agriculture -20%
by 40% by 2040 from 2019 levels. Despite new technology, the
efficiency of the aircraft cannot offset the substantial growth
Non-Aviation
planned over the next couple of decades. Clearly, the industry 9%
Transport
needs more than just newer and more-efficient aircraft to
address the climate challenge. International
aviation 114%
6
GROWING PRESSURE
FOR SUSTAINABLE
ACTIONS 7
The link between climate change and Rail and Domestic Air Travel Growth in Sweden
emissions is not new, but the level of Quarterly Year-on-Year Growth in Passengers Carried
public concern certainly is. Nowhere is
2016 2017 2018 2019
the shift in attitude more apparent than 15%
in Sweden, the origin of the flygskam
(or flight-shame) movement. With
10%
hashtags such as #jagstannerpåmarken
(I stay on the ground), proponents of
the movement have encouraged people 5%
to reduce flying and find alternative forms
of transportation. Initial data suggests
0%
the movement is having some effect.
Recent figures from Eurostat show a -2%
distinct decrease in domestic air traffic -5% -4%
-5%
offset by an increase in rail traffic. -6%
-10% -9%
-10%
-11%
-15%
Air Rail
Source: Eurostat
8
It remains to be seen whether this is a glancing statistic Rail options for air travellers
or the start of a broader trend. In some countries, Rail alternatives for domestic air passengers by country
passengers may not have alternative transport modes Total domestic pax
available. Accenture analysed domestic air and rail travel Spain 16% 33.9
options throughout Europe to determine how many air Italy 22% 28.6
travellers had practical competing rail options on the France 56% 21.9
same day. UK 38% 20.5
Germany 85% 17.4
The chart on the right shows the percentage of passengers Norway 7% 11.7
who had rail options with trip durations within 3, 4 and Greece <1% 8.4
5 hours of the equivalent flight time. Some countries, Sweden 44% 6.4
such as Germany and France, may be more susceptible
Portugal 16% 3.5
to modal shifts, while passengers in countries like
Finland 2% 1.9
Norway have fewer competing options. Hence, a lack of
Romania 2% 1.3
shift to rail should not be seen as a sign that passengers
Denmark 79% 1.2
are not concerned about the environmental impact of
Poland 66% 0.9
aviation; instead, these passengers may lack a more
sustainable option. For these individuals, rather than Ukraine 39% 0.6
asking themselves “how should I travel?”, they may be Iceland <1% 0.3
9
A recent UBS study indicates this sentiment may be gathering
momentum. In the study, 21% of respondents from the UK, US,
Germany and France indicated they had reduced their flying
in the last 12 months out of environmental concerns. UBS
21%
of respondents from the UK, US,
subsequently revised their air traffic growth estimates downwards Germany and France indicated
for Europe and the US, with far-reaching consequences for the they had reduced their flying
entire industry. The COVID-19 pandemic may be accelerating in the last 12 months out of
these trends as consumers increasingly align their purchasing environmental concerns
behaviour to their personal values.
10
GOVERNMENT
RESPONSES 11
Public concern about aviation’s impact on climate European aviation taxes
change is transforming into a response from several
government institutions. In many parts of the world,
aviation has historically enjoyed a lower taxation
compared to other industries. In Europe, for example,
international airline tickets, aircraft fuel, and aircraft
purchases are often exempt from taxes such as VAT.
330EUR
tax rate for aviation kerosene
per thousand litres No aviation tax VAT on domestic flights only Ticket tax No data
12
This special treatment may be starting to change. Germany6 Were the EU to impose a fuel tax on intra-EU flights, for example,
and France7 both announced last year an increase in their a passenger flying from Beijing to Amsterdam might feel the
ticket tax. And while taxing fuel on international flights is impact of the tax on their second leg if they connect through
difficult to coordinate between countries, it is not impossible. Helsinki but would not have the fuel on their flight taxed if they
As the Financial Times reported in 2019, the EU Commission connected through Dubai. Clearly, there are benefits for having
found that a tax on intra-EU flights could cut carbon emissions a single global standard throughout the industry.
by 11% while having a negligible impact on GDP and jobs8.
This would, however, have a major impact on airlines, with With the COVID-19 pandemic, several rescue packages for the
fuel already being one of their largest costs. airline industry have come with environmental strings attached.
Bailout plans in France, for example, may see large cuts to the
In parallel, several countries and groups of countries are domestic air network, particularly where competing rail options
developing their own mechanisms for addressing the climate exist. With aviation emissions already at incredibly low levels,
issue. Emissions trading schemes, such as the EU ETS, are being many governments see opportunity to rebuild the industry with
established around the world, and China has unveiled plans for a smaller carbon footprint.
their own trading scheme. Given aviation’s international nature,
differing objectives among nations could create a patchwork of
policies that distort the market and harm competition.
Several countries are developing their
own mechanisms for addressing the
CLIMATE ISSUE
13
THE AVIATION
INDUSTRY’S PLAN 14
Environmental regulatory concerns are not new to the aviation IATA’s strategy for achieving carbon neutral growth includes
industry; in fact, as far back as 2011, ICAO and IATA modelled factors such as improved infrastructure, more efficient
that a worst-case scenario of patchwork climate policies could operations, and new aircraft technology. However, even
cost the industry up to 10% of revenue per year.9 Preferring a with these additional measures, the industry recognises that
single global mechanism, the industry established the Carbon a substantial gap will remain. CORSIA fills this gap with a
Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) global market-based measure which encourages the use of
in 2016. CORSIA targets industry-wide carbon-neutral growth sustainable aviation fuels or the purchase of carbon offsets.
by 202010 with a reduction to 50% of carbon emission from
2005 levels by 2050. In March, ICAO agreed on six carbon-offset programmes
that are eligible for use during the CORSIA pilot phase. Even
Although the pilot and first phase of the program are before these guidelines were announced, several airlines had
voluntary (beginning in 2021 and 2024, respectively), 88 states proactively invested in offset programmes. SAS for example
representing over 77% of aviation activity have volunteered has been offsetting the flights of minors since April 201812.
to participate from the outset as of June 2020.11 CORSIA only
applies to international traffic (about 65% of global capacity),
with domestic regulations handled by individual states.
15
Easyjet has started their own offsetting IATA Technology Roadmap
programme which will offset each Technologies to achieve CORSIA objectives
passengers’ flights by planting trees or
preventing deforestation.13 And jetBlue
became the first US carrier to announce No Action
16
THE SEARCH
FOR SUSTAINABLE
ALTERNATIVES 17
1 kg
While some modes of transportation can be replaced with more
sustainable alternatives (such as petrol cars to electric), alternatives
in the aviation industry can be harder to come by. Compared to
other types of transportation, airplanes are highly sensitive to weight. jet fuel has the
Not only does it require more energy to get a heavier plane in the air, same energy as
the extra lift required during cruise creates additional drag; hence,
heavier aircraft require more fuel (and additional fuel to carry the
weight of that fuel).
18
15
million litres of
aviation biofuel
Sustainable aviation fuels represent the best near-term
solution for the aviation industry. Unlike traditional fuels,
were produced
sustainable fuels are made from renewable materials rather in 2018
than petroleum. These fuels can be broadly classified into
two categories: biofuels and e-fuels.
19
E-FUELS COULD
BE PART OF THE
ANSWER 20
E-fuels are less known in the industry but show enormous How e-fuels work
potential as a sustainable alternative. Unlike biofuels,
e-fuels use electricity to transform raw carbon dioxide
and hydrogen into fuel. If the electricity and raw materials
come from a renewable energy source, the fuel generated
is completely carbon neutral. Various types of e-fuels CO2 is emitted CO2 is captured
from aircraft from the air
differ by their source of carbon dioxide, such as biomass
or industrial waste.
21
E-fuel from air has several characteristics that make Sustainable energy costs
it particularly promising for aviation. Unlike biofuels 2018 USD/kWh
from crops or algae, e-fuels require a small footprint
0.60
and can be generated anywhere a renewable energy
source is present. It does not compete with food
sources and has minimal requirements on other
0.45
resources. E-fuels readily fit into the existing jet
fuel supply chain, using the same refining and 0.37
transportation processes. They can also be used 0.34
22
Accessing cost-effective renewable energy is perhaps Global sustainable energy production
the largest challenge for scaling e-fuel from air. In the TWh
past decade, however, the global supply of renewable
energy has increased dramatically while the price 7,000
3,000
2,000
E-FUELS
1,000
READILY FIT
0
23
NO SINGLE
SILVER-BULLET 24
Scale is an important consideration for sustainable Industry fuel consumption
alternatives given the sheer size of the problem.
The chart to the right shows a forecast for industry 600
fuel consumption in billions of litres based on forecast
aircraft deliveries and retirements. Last year, the 500
industry consumed nearly a billion litres of fuel
each day with about 650 million litres attributed
400
to international aviation. Despite the increased
fuel efficiency of new aircraft, the scale of aircraft
production and traffic growth over the next 20 years 300
Fuel consumption 0
1.4
to increase to nearly 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040
billion
litres
per day
25
Accenture projects that the aviation industry will need to and sold on the global voluntary markets in 2018 would have
eliminate or offset 100 billion litres in 2040 just to meet offset only about 39 billion litres of jet fuel. Aviation will clearly
the carbon-neutral growth objectives of CORSIA, with much have a large impact on demand, though it is not yet clear what
more required to reduce to 2005 levels. To put that number impact CORSIA may have on offset prices.
in perspective, the overall amount of carbon offsets bought
26
Biofuels may also struggle to keep pace with demand. The
International Energy Agency’s (IEA) sustainable development
scenario expects 37 billion litres of biofuel by 2030 and
75 billion litres by 2040. Even meeting these goals may be
challenging. In other industries, biofuel production has already
fallen short of the IEA sustainable development scenario. The
aviation sector must also compete with biodiesel for ground
vehicles, and competition of biomass feedstocks might drive
prices even higher.
75
needs to invest now to secure a sustainable supply for
the future. To this end, Accenture is working to establish
a consortium of e-fuel producers and consumers that
can drive the technology and investment in production billion litres of
capacity forward. biofuel by 2040
27
ESTABLISHING
AN E-FUEL
CONSORTIUM 28
Accenture predicts that, with the right investment, Cost of a litre of fuel
e-fuels can provide 2 – 5% of the global aviation fuel Traditional versus carbon-neutral comparison
supply by 2030 and 20 – 40% by 2050. Creating this
$4
scale requires significant investment. At the time of
writing, there are three companies with the technology
to create air capture e-fuel. Two of them are already
$3
closely aligned with large oil companies. The remaining
company, Climeworks, wants to align themselves closer
with the airline industry, and Accenture is helping them
$2
to make this a reality.
1.33
Our vision is to establish a consortium between e-fuel 1.10
$1
suppliers and airlines who consume e-fuels, advised by 0.89
0.73
a range of other stakeholders involved in aviation, from 0.50
airports to manufacturers. Not only will the consortium
$0
give members a voice in shaping this new industry, it
2020 2025 2030 2035 2040
will also provide secure access to a supply of
0.5M 10M 50M 100M
alternative fuel. By scaling up the technology, we are
litres per day litres per day litres per day litres per day
targeting market parity with traditional fuels around
2030.
Additional Taxes Carbon Offsets Rising fuel price
29
Over the same time period we expect the price of
traditional jet fuel to increase due to higher fuel prices,
the cost of offsets required through CORSIA, and
the increase in taxes on aviation worldwide. And the
climate benefits from having a carbon neutral fuel that
in addition reduces contrails and their impact on global
warming are clear to anyone from within the industry
and beyond we have talked to so far.
31
Appendix
IATA. Climate Change. https://www.iata.org/en/programs/environment/climate-change/
1 10
The baseline for carbon-neutral growth was originally defined as the average of 2019 and 2020
emissions levels. Due to COVID-19, the baseline for carbon-neutral growth has been redefined to only
UK CAA. Information on aviation’s environmental impact. https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/
2
include 2019 emissions levels.
CAP1524EnvironmentalInformation29032017.pdf
Aviation Benefits Beyond Borders. Who Volunteers for CORSIA? https://aviationbenefits.org/
11
Grew, TU Delft. Climate Impact of Aviation CO2 and non-CO2 effects and examples for mitigation
3
environmental-efficiency/climate-action/offsetting-emissions-corsia/corsia/who-volunteers-for-
options. https://www.transportenvironment.org/sites/te/files/Climate%20impact%20of%20 corsia/
aviation%20CO2%20and%20non-CO2%20effects_Volker%20Grewe.pdf
SAS. Sustainability Report FY18. https://www.sasgroup.net/files/en/wp-content/uploads/
12
Skift. Germany Is 6 Months Away From Climate Tax on Air Travel. https://skift.com/2019/10/15/germany-
6
news/home/20200106005549/en/JetBlue-Prepares-Business-New-Climate-Reality
is-6-months-away-from-climate-tax-on-air-travel/
IEA. Are aviation biofuels ready for takeoff? https://www.iea.org/commentaries/are-aviation-biofuels-
15
Reuters. France to tax flights from its airports, airline shares fall. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-
7
ready-for-take-off
france-airlines-tax/france-to-tax-flights-from-its-airports-airline-shares-fall-idUSKCN1U412B
IEA. Transport Biofuels. https://www.iea.org/reports/transport-biofuels
16
Financial Times. Leaked EU report boosts case for jet fuel tax. https://www.ft.com/content/1ce24798-
8
733b-11e9-bbfb-5c68069fbd15
Perspective. https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/files/publication/191021-anjaparidze-
viewpoint.pdf
32
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