Delta’s mission to better connect the world has never been more important on our path to net-zero emissions by 2050 and a more sustainable future of travel. That’s why a year ago, we introduced a strategic roadmap for achieving our climate and sustainability ambitions. At Delta, we believe that what gets measured gets done, so our public strategy embraces short-, medium-, and long-term milestones to guide what we fly, how we fly and the fuel we use – all while supporting the elevated experiences Delta customers have come to expect.
With over 90% of our carbon footprint coming from jet fuel, we are focused each day on reducing emissions in our own operation while working with industry stakeholders for longer-term decarbonization solutions. In 2024, we expect this work to further reduce fuel consumption by spurring policies and coalition building in support of decarbonization while driving cost efficiencies in our business.
As our decarbonization work continues, we are also implementing sustainability measures across Delta in ways within our control today – like reducing single-use plastics on board. In fact, we’re currently testing a completely new paper cup design that, once implemented throughout our network, we expect will eliminate 7 million pounds of single use plastics (SUPs) on board annually – that’s the weight of 1,300 pickup trucks. 2024 will be a year that we continue building momentum for optimizing our provisioning on board (less weight on the aircraft burns less fuel) and across the ground experience while reducing waste.
While we have a clear path for our work in 2024, Delta’s overarching environmental sustainability strategy is designed to be durable for the long term – here are some ways we’re already seeing that plan in action:
1. Sustainability is a core consideration for business decisions.
Our sustainability road map entails influencing business decisions ranging from what we fly and how we fly, to the fuel we use to get there…
