Boeing outlines a sustainable future for aerospace

Boeing has released its first Sustainability Report charting its vision for the future of sustainable aerospace, establishing broad sustainability goals while highlighting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) progress. In September 2020, Boeing formed a Sustainability organization to advance its ESG efforts across the enterprise and this is the first of what will be an annual report. Boeing Chief Sustainability Officer Chris Raymond said "we know there's still work to do and are committed to communicating our progress and holding ourselves accountable to ensure the aerospace industry is safe and sustainable for generations to come." The aerospace giant's sustainability efforts are organized around four key pillars: people, products and services, operations, and communities. During 2020 some of the highlights across these four pillars included defining the company's vision for the future of sustainable aerospace through fleet renewal, network operational efficiency, renewable energy, and advanced technology and committing to deliver commercial airplanes capable of flying on 100 percent sustainable fuels by 2030. It also partnered with Etihad Airways on the 2020 ecoDemonstrator program, which tested sustainable technologies on one of the airline's new 787-10 Dreamliners and advanced flight tests for Cora, an all-electric, self-flying air taxi developed by Boeing and Kitty Hawk joint venture Wisk. On the production side, it implemented digital engineering tools on the T-7A Red Hawk program and achieved a 75 percent increase in first-time engineering quality and an 80 percent reduction in assembly hours. For the company itself, it established a 20-member Racial Equity Task Force to represent diverse viewpoints and amplify all voices, and set 2030 environmental performance goals to reduce emissions, waste, water use, and energy consumption. It also achieved net-zero carbon emissions at its worksites, while reducing energy consumption by 12 percent, water use by 23 percent, solid waste by 44 percent and hazardous waste by 34 percent. Boeing also contributed US$234 million in community giving, working with 13,400 community partners and volunteering 250,000 hours. More information on these and other sustainability accomplishments can be found in the full report.