ANA Holdings Inc. announced its transition strategies to accelerate decarbonization and reduce carbon emissions from aircraft operations to net zero by 2050.
To help achieve its CO2 emission-reduction goals, ANA Group plans to replace 10% or more of its fuel consumption with SAF by 2030. ANA said by 2050, almost all of its fuel consumption will be from low-carbon sources.
For CO2 emissions that cannot be reduced by the above measures, the ANA Group noted that it will study the use of NETs including DAC, which are being developed globally and aim to achieve net zero (carbon neutrality) by FY2050.
In addition, ANA Group has partnered with major aircraft manufacturers to jointly conduct research projects on technology to advance the airline's sustainability efforts.
With Airbus, ANA said it has entered into an agreement on a joint research project for the development of hydrogen aircraft and infrastructure.
"While hydrogen and/or electricity-powered aircraft are not included in our transition strategy at this time, the partnership will help ANA Group to diversify its range of options to achieve the Group's environmental goals by obtaining timely information on advanced technologies and the global ecosystem," the major Japanese carrier said.
With Boeing, on the other hand, ANA will work on the development and utilization of sustainable technologies in Japan, including electric, hybrid, hydrogen, and other novel propulsion systems.
Photo: ANA Group
"We are dedicated to achieving our sustainability goals by 2050 and are making investments in multiple areas to meet our commitments," said Koji Shibata, president, and chief executive officer of ANA Holdings Inc.
"Sustainability is a top priority for ANA and by establishing the transition strategies, we hope to lead the airline industry forward into a carbon-neutral future," Shibata added.
Green Bond Framework
To raise funds for the implementation of these strategies, ANA said it has established a Green Bond Framework.
It said this framework is based on the Green Bond Principles (GBP) 2021 published by the International Capital Market Association (ICMA) and the Green Bond Guidelines 2022 published by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan.
"We have obtained a Third-Party Opinion from Japan Credit Rating Agency, Ltd. (JCR) to confirm the alignment with the Principles and the Guidelines. The date, the amount, and the other details of the issuance of Green Bonds based on this Framework will be decided in the future based on market trends such as interest rate," ANA said.
Use of proceeds based on the Green Bond Framework includes procurement of SAF, investments in projects/companies aiming at increasing available SAF, and investments in the utilization of negative emissions technologies.
"The ANA Group has been proactive in its decarbonization efforts in cooperation with various stakeholders, including being the first Japanese airline to use SAF in its regular flights," the airline said.
"ANA will continue to monitor global trends in climate change to promote the decarbonization and sustainability of the aviation industry and continue to contribute to the realization of a carbon-neutral society," it added.