Lufthansa Group has announced a new expanded portfolio of climate protection projects, including a commitment to supporting new direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS) technologies.
The group, which also includes Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, ITA Airways and Swiss, said that passengers can contribute to CO2 saving through its 14 climate protection projects.
In a statement, the company said that these projects are being implemented in its home markets of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Italy, as well as in other countries.
Last year, passengers travelling with the group’s airlines made contributions equivalent to more than 710,000 metric tonnes of CO2 by choosing “sustainable” travel options — this was a 20 per cent increase on the previous year.
Travellers also support the use of alternative aviation fuels by Lufthansa’s airlines through initiatives such as the group’s Green Fares, which include compensation for carbon emissions within the ticket price.
Nina Sproedt, head of sustainability at Lufthansa Group, added: “Climate protection projects, which complement our own emission reduction measures, are an important building block on the path to more sustainable aviation and the achievement of our climate goals.
“With our carefully curated portfolio, we are increasingly focusing on technology-based projects that enable long-term CO2 sequestration. In this way, we are contributing to the further development and scaling of these technologies.”
Lufthansa’s climate project portfolio is split into two categories: avoidance and removal projects. Avoidance initiatives are designed to prevent emissions outside the airline industry, while removal projects actively remove existing CO2 in the atmosphere and store it over the long-term.
Emerging technologies, such as DACCS, have been added to Lufthansa’s list of projects for the first time. The airline said this technology will make it possible “in the future” to filter CO2 from the air and then store it underground.
The number of projects designed to permanently remove CO2 from the atmosphere has been doubled by Lufthansa and they now account for 20 per cent of the refreshed portfolio. They include initiatives that extract CO2 from the air via photosynthesis and then bind them as carbon in the form of biochar.