Advancing sustainability initiatives is something that’s important to Southwest Airlines, our Employees, and our Customers—including our Southwest ® Business Customers. As business travelers return to the sky, we’re thrilled to offer our eligible Business Customers the opportunity to learn about incorporating sustainability initiatives within their corporate travel portfolios.
We believe in meeting Customers where they are on their sustainability journey and recognize the importance of building the right foundation. That’s why Southwest Business gives our eligible Business Customers the option to act to support our Company’s sustainability goals, measure with account-level reporting, and learn by discussing their own goals and strategies for mitigating emissions associated with business travel on Southwest.
Act
Southwest Business is collaborating with several companies on sustainability initiatives including:
Engaging with Deloitte, Siemens USA, and Zurich North America in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) beta agreements that support Southwest’s utilization of available qualifying SAF in its operation through the purchase of certain Scope 3 emissions reductions rights from Southwest’s use of such SAF.
Launching the Green Incentive Program, a Southwest Business performance-based incentive program that provides eligible corporate Customers, including Bio-Rad Laboratories and WM, the opportunity to earn and use funds for their company's sustainability initiatives, which could include offsets or other programs.
Measure
Southwest strives to help eligible Customers understand their carbon emissions from flying with Southwest by providing them with account-level reporting.
To calculate these estimates, we use booking history and actual data from traveled flights, including routes and capacity information, to develop an individualized estimate of carbon emissions associated with a Customer’s travel on Southwest. Through this methodology, Southwest can produce for eligible Southwest Business Customers Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions estimates that incorporate actual flown data and fuel consumption.*
Learn
Southwest Business engages in personalized conversations with eligible corporate Customers to discuss their goals and strategies for mitigating emissions associated with business travel on Southwest. These collaborative discussions enable Southwest Business to learn from corporate Customers, as well as educate them about Southwest’s sustainability initiatives and broader industry decarbonization opportunities and challenges.
“We’re proud to invite corporate Customers to join us in collaborating on environmental sustainability initiatives,” said Helen Giles, Director of Environmental Sustainability for Southwest Airlines. “To address our environmental impact, we’ve made sustainability a priority at Southwest and set climate goals, as have many of our corporate Customers. We are all on this journey, and it’s exciting to be working together.”
We also continue to highlight our broader environmental sustainability goals, including our 10-year plan to reduce, replace, and offset, as well as partner with organizations and nonprofits whose work complements our sustainability efforts.
At Southwest, we seek to promote a better, healthier Planet, but we recognize we can’t accomplish it alone. Promoting a better, healthier Planet is going to require a joint effort from individuals, communities, and businesses—all working together to do their part. We look forward to engaging with our corporate Customers on this journey!
*The reported emissions from travel on Southwest Airlines® are provided as an estimate only. Travel data only includes flights a Customer booked through the Customer's dedicated Online Booking Tool, Travel Management Company, and/or SWABIZ ® . GHG emissions are reported as carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), including carbon dioxide (CO2) and other applicable GHGs for energy sources as listed in EPA's Emission Factors for Greenhouse Gas Inventories (v.2021). Emissions estimates provided in the report do not quantify the potential climate change impact of non-CO2e emissions resulting from a flight. Southwest Airlines’ emission estimate (flight activity-based method) is based on actual flight activity and the associated fuel consumption on those flights. The emissions from each flight are divided proportionally between all Passengers and Cargo and then evenly among all Passengers on each flight.
... View more
