Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa, JAL and sustainable development

Cathay Pacific is one of five airlines to carry a five-star rating from Skytrax. It was named Airline of the Year in 2003 and 2005 by Skytrax and in 2006 by Air Transport World and OAG.

Lufthansa is the largest airline in Europe. Lufthansa’s name is derived from Luft (the German word for "air"), and Hansa (after Hanseatic League, the powerful medieval trading group).

JAL is the largest airline operator in Asia. Its main bases are Tokyo International Airport and Narita International Airport, Tokyo. It has over 17,500 employees.

Did you know?

• The Brundtland Commission, led by the former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, defined sustainable development as development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
• Cathay Pacific has introduced a programme for the collection and disposal of aluminium and plastic. In 2006 it estimates it recovered 64% of plastic bottles and 27% of cans from its inbound flights, equating to approximately 8 tonnes of aluminium and 9 tonnes of plastic. The material is taken to a waste contractor and then moved on for recycling.

What are we doing?

• In Tokyo, JAL has managed to reduce CO2 emissions at the company's headquarters as well as at its offices at Haneda and Narita airports via its ‘Cool Biz’ and ‘Warm Biz’ initiatives. The airline encourages staff to dress in lightweight clothing during the hot summer months and promotes warmer clothing during the winter months.
• At Cathay Pacific City in Hong Kong, alternative energy sources are in use. A solar panel is used to heat water for the dishwashers used by the food court while an experimental wind turbine is supplementing power used for the office tower lighting system.
• Lufthansa’s reconstruction of its training centre in Seeheim uses a rainwater collection basin to irrigate the landscaped areas while optimised insulation ensures heating energy is used as efficiently as possible.

What were the results?

• Air conditioning in JAL offices only comes on when the temperature reaches 28C while office heaters are set at a maximum of 20C. This saves approximately 77 tonnes of CO2 annually, equivalent to a 3% reduction or around $500,000 (JPY51m) in energy costs.
• If the test is successful, Cathay Pacific intends to incorporate wind power into future facilities development.
• Lufthansa’s new building is expected to be ready at the end of 2008. In the meantime, energy experts are continuing to run computer simulations to see if any further energy savings might be realised. The savings are such that Lufthansa believes the building will pay for itself in about 10 years, proving that ecology and economy are compatible.