Annual report and accounts 2016

47
UN Sustainable Development Goals
In September 2015, as part of the United Nation’s Summit on Sustainable Development, all 193 Member States of the United
Nations adopted a plan to “end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030. At the heart of this
‘Agenda 2030’ are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Fulfilling these goals will take significant effort by all sectors in
society and it is widely recognised that business has an important role to play.
For IAG, it is possible to draw connections to many of the UN SDGs and will include those connections in the future performance
reporting. However, we have also selected a smaller number of SDGs, set out in the table below, that we believe reflect the material
issues and opportunities for IAG. For these, during 2017 we will be working to align our strategies in support of these goals and
undertaking formal commitment and reporting via UN SDG channels.
UN SDG selected for IAG sustainability strategyRelevance to IAG and key opportunities for action in 2017 and beyond
Goal 5: Gender equality: Achieve
gender equality and empower all women
and girls.
Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy:
Ensure access to affordable, reliable,
sustainable and modern energy for all.
Goal 8: Decent work and economic
growth: Promote sustained, inclusive
and sustainable economic growth, full
and productive employment and decent
work for all.
Goal 13: Climate Action: Take urgent
action to combat climate change and
its impacts.
Gender equality has been a key consideration in planning the long-term
composition of the IAG Board itself and further strategies are in place across
the organisation to encourage greater gender equality. The Group reports
employees by gender.
IAG is proactively working with partners in fuel production and waste
management to develop the technology and market for sustainable
aviation fuels which not only help address climate impacts but also support
affordable, reliable energy supply for aviation and other users.
As one of the largest airline groups in the world, IAG contributes to global
economic prosperity by transporting goods and connecting people, places,
communities and cultures. In 2016 IAG transported over 5,454 million tonnes
of cargo kilometres, carried over 100 million passengers, employed 63,387
people (average manpower equivalent) and paid €318 million in taxes.
IAG has and will continue to take a strong leadership role in shaping national
and international policy to support aviation in addressing its climate change
impacts. We also actively support and implement the industry’s four pillar
strategy to address climate impacts by pursuing more efficient aircraft
operations, investing in improved technology including newer aircraft and
sustainable low-carbon fuels, and actively supporting global carbon pricing
for aviation.
Strategic report Corporate governance Financial statements Additional information
Sustainability future focus
In aviation, due to the long‐term development timescales for new aircraft technologies and infrastructure, it is important
we continually seek out opportunities to innovate to address our sustainability impacts. Here are some of the exciting
opportunities we are working on:
Real time data sharing to optimise fuel efficiency
Internet connection to our aircraft is currently being deployed in IAG’s airlines and will offer opportunities to optimise flight
efficiency. In 2017, we are implementing new Group-wide fuel efficiency software to enable better tracking and benchmarking
of our operational flight efficiency, providing a platform to evolve to real-time fuel performance management.
Deriving sustainable aviation fuels from waste materials
IAG is actively exploring opportunities in this area and, with the right policy incentives in place, we believe aircraft could be
operating on up to 25 per cent sustainable alternative fuels by 2050. In 2017, we continue to lobby for policy support for these
fuels and intend to formalise our working with strategic partners to progress one or more UK projects.
Carbon pricing
The Paris climate change agreement demonstrates both government and industry commitment to develop low carbon
economies. IAG believes putting a cost on carbon is the most effective mechanism to address carbon emissions global market
based measure, Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), is a positive step towards
full carbon pricing for the aviation sector and in 2017 IAG will continue to engage in international discussions to further build
on this.
www.iairgroup.com