Delta Cargo has joined the Sustainable Air Freight Alliance (SAFA), a business-led collaborative initiative aiming to reduce its members’ environmental footprint. The move aligns with Delta’s pledge earlier this year to become the world’s first carbon neutral airline. The airline has committed $1 billion over the next 10 years to mitigate all emissions from its global business.
SAFA is a collaboration between shippers, freight forwarders and airlines to track and reduce emissions from air freight and promote responsible freight transport. It is facilitated by BSR (Business for Social Responsibility), a global nonprofit business network and consultancy dedicated to sustainability.
“We’re proud to join SAFA as we accelerate our sustainability goals while also being aligned with our customers and their values,” said Shawn Cole, Vice President – Delta Cargo. “We are in the midst of the worst global pandemic in living memory, but we can’t afford to take sustainability off the agenda. Through this commitment, we are supporting Delta’s goal to be a more environmentally-friendly airline for generations to come.”
The aviation industry accounts for roughly two percent of emissions globally, while Delta’s carbon footprint is its largest environmental impact, with 98 percent of emissions coming from its aircraft. Delta Cargo has already started taking steps to reduce its carbon footprint, including replacing light bulbs in its warehouses to energy-efficient LED lighting and switching to electric tugs. It is also working with its counterparts through SAFA to share best practices and create common goals and metrics. These support Delta’s overall goals, including:
Stakeholder engagement: Building coalitions with our employees, suppliers, global partners, customers, industry colleagues, investors and other stakeholders to advance carbon reduction and removal goals and maximize our global impact.
Transparency: Continue to publicly report on our goals and progress, aligned with leading disclosure frameworks and standards, and track efforts and achievements through our robust governance structure.
BSR, which facilitates SAFA, has over 250 member companies and works across a range of industries, including healthcare, agriculture, energy, and financial services, in addition to transport and logistics, to improve companies’ environmental and sustainability performance. SAFA is one of over 20 collaborative initiatives facilitated and managed by BSR, involving over 400 companies in total.
“We are very pleased to welcome Delta Cargo to SAFA,” said Angie Farrag-Thibault, Director, Transport & Logistics at BSR. “When airlines, shippers, and freight forwarders collaborate, they can accelerate the development of new solutions and the implementation of best practices. By joining SAFA, Delta Cargo will contribute to an ambitious collective effort to reduce emissions from air freight, which is necessary to meet global climate goals.”
