Through pioneering initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint and pursue circular solutions, Cathay demonstrates its long-term commitment to sustainable development as it seeks to rebuild global connectivity from its Hong Kong hub.
For over seven decades, Cathay has played an integral role in developing Hong Kong into a global aviation hub by connecting the city to destinations worldwide. As the home airline looks to the future following the immense challenges presented by the pandemic, positive signs of recovery bring promise for continued growth – the Cathay Group, comprising Cathay Pacific and HK Express, has reached 70% of pre-pandemic passenger capacity levels.
Sustainability leadership has always been a core element of Cathay’s brand purpose to move people forward in life, by being committed to doing so in a sustainable and responsible manner for current and future generations. Even during the pandemic, Cathay continued to take important steps on its journey to be ‘Greener Together’ through mitigating environmental impacts and pioneering changes towards greater sustainability in aviation.
Cathay General Manager Sustainability Grace Cheung said: “We are truly honored to have received the HKMA Distinction Award, which is a testament to our ongoing commitment to driving decarbonization and moving towards more sustainable use of resources. Going forward, we will continue to work hand in hand with business partners, travellers and our people to build a greener future.”
Fueling sustainability
Cathay has demonstrated true leadership in sustainability through its pioneering climate efforts to support the development of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) over the past decade. The company is equally committed to continually improving operational efficiency regarding resource consumption.
However, Cathay understands achieving ambitious sustainability goals requires collective effort. Through its ‘Greener Together’ approach, the company embraces partnerships with other businesses, travelers, and its own people to push boundaries and reach new heights in building a greener future.
As one of Asia’s first airlines to pledge net zero carbon emissions by 2050, Cathay understands the enormity yet necessity of decarbonizing its operations. To advance this goal, the company employs a five-pronged strategy focused on SAF, fleet modernization, operational efficiency, new technologies and carbon offsets.
Of these, SAF represents the most important lever to transition the industry to a net-zero carbon future. SAF can be produced from municipal solid waste or used cooking oil, reducing lifecycle carbon emissions by over 80%. Importantly, it is compatible with existing aircraft engines and infrastructure. In 2022, Cathay introduced Asia’s first major Corporate SAF Programme, letting businesses offset emissions from business travel or airfreight by contributing to SAF uplifted from Hong Kong International Airport for the first time.
Building on this in 2023, the company completed its first overseas SAF refuel on commercial flights in Singapore and partnered with the Chinese firm State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) to foster the development of the regional supply chain. These show the airline’s relentless dedication to environmental stewardship through pioneering solutions that curb aviation’s climate impact.
Waste reduction
Cathay is committed to achieving a more circular model by reducing single-use plastics (SUP) across its operations and sharing this vision with customers and employees. In pursuit of this goal, it set an ambitious target to cut SUP usage by 50% from the 2018 baseline by the end of 2022.
Through dedicated efforts, the company is proud to have surpassed this target by achieving a 56% reduction per passenger – equivalent to removing nearly 200 million individual plastic items. Notable initiatives included replacing SUP beverage cups with certified Flustix paper cups and phasing out plastic cutlery in Economy class in favor of lightweight metal versions. Cathay continues to build on this achievement and will set new plastics and waste-reduction targets before 2023 concludes.
Promoting youth development
Community investment is another key priority for Cathay, with a focus on empowering youth. As one of the supporting organizations of the HKSAR government’s Strive and Rise Programme, the airline is fully committed to providing members of the next generation with unique industry exposure and experiences. The company hosted a number of Aviation Exploration Days over the past year to give young people an inside look into the world of aviation, and celebrated its participation in the Strive and Rise Programme with a grand finale involving the return of its ever-popular Cathay Community Flight.
Over the years, the airline has proactively launched and funded pioneering youth-development programmes. The signature Cadet Pilot Training Programme cultivates the next generation of pilots, with Cathay targeting to recruit more than 800 cadets in 2023 and 2024 combined, The ‘I Can Fly’ scheme, launched in 2003, actively recruits Hong Kong students who show a passion for aviation and a commitment to community service.
And the Cathay Hackathon, taking place this coming weekend, provides a platform for young innovators to contribute ideas and solutions, and be part of Cathay’s drive towards digital leadership. Through these initiatives, Cathay continues its ongoing commitment to nurturing and developing young talent for the aviation industry in Hong Kong.
Grace Cheung, Cathay General Manager Sustainability
