Environment

Cathay Pacific is committed to sustainable development and the airline takes its environmental responsibilities seriously, carrying out its own initiatives to boost environmental protection as well as supporting other initiatives within the Hong Kong community.

FLY greener

Cathay Pacific, together with sister airline Dragonair, launched “FLY greener”, a voluntary carbon offset scheme, in December 2007. The programme gives passengers the opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint by offsetting the carbon emissions attributable to their journey.

The programme, the first carbon offset scheme offered by an Asian carrier, gives passengers the option of using cash or frequent flyer miles to pay for their offsets. FLY greener is an extension of an in-house carbon offset programme associated with staff business travel.

The carbon offsets provide funding for environmental projects that either remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere or prevent emissions being released in the first place. We currently support a number of projects in China, including a small hydro project in rural Southwest China, a wind farm in Changdao, Shandong, and a hydropower station in Lankou, Guangdong. These projects were chosen for added social and environmental benefits such as reducing local air pollution, enhancing the productivity of local farms, and providing power and jobs to local communities.

Coastal Cleanup

Cathay Pacific volunteers from Hong Kong and overseas offices have participated in coastal cleanup activities organised by local green groups, and the International Coastal Cleanup Campaign organised by Ocean Conservancy, to remove debris from selected coastal areas and collect debris data for the campaign coordinators. In 2009 and 2010, volunteers helped to collect more than 1,600kg of rubbish from coastal areas in Hong Kong, Taipei, Kaohsiung and Los Angeles.