Cathay Pacific Airways launched its latest Sustainable Development Report 2011 on July 3 which outlines the various sustainability measures undertaken by the airline in 2011. The report incorporates the Cathay Pacific Group’s 100%-owned subsidiaries based in Hong Kong – Dragonair, Cathay Pacific Catering Services, Hong Kong Airport Services, Vogue Laundry Services and Cathay Pacific Holidays – and the 60%-owned Air Hong Kong.
For the fourth consecutive year, the report has achieved an A+ rating – the highest possible – in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines, an externally verified and internationally accepted benchmark for reporting on economic, environmental and social impacts.
Cathay Pacific Head of Environmental Affairs Mark Watson said, “Our commitment to sustainability remains a vital part of our vision to be the world’s best airline. We face significant sustainability challenges and we are open and transparent about these in our latest Sustainable Development Report. We are now firmly on the journey towards achieving real and tangible improvements in our environmental, social and economic performance, and we will continue to put sustainability at the forefront of our business decision-making.”
The report features in-depth coverage of the Group’s economic, social and environmental performance in 2011. The theme of the report, “En route to Sustainability”, highlights the ongoing journey of sustainability on which the company has embarked and details how it has remained on this path despite recent challenges. For the first time, a detailed matrix illustrates the importance of sustainability issues in the Cathay Pacific Sustainable Development Strategy.
The company reports the energy consumption and greenhouse gas data from four outports (Auckland, Taipei, Manila and San Francisco) and non-GHG data from five outports (Frankfurt, Paris, Karachi, Kuala Lumpur and Sydney). The company also continues to work with its other outports on data collection.
In a joint message in the report, Cathay Pacific Chairman Christopher Pratt and Chief Executive John Slosar said, “Sustainability is indeed a journey, and we are committed to the long haul. We may not have found the most effective solutions to all of our challenges today, but we are striving to find them. In the meantime, we will continue to plan for the future and do the things we need to do to be successful in the long term. We realize that this path is not an easy one, but we believe it is the right one.”
This is the first year that the full Sustainable Development Report will be available only through a dedicated website. As before, readers can download specific sections of the report or the full report in PDF format, and a 20-page summary will also be available.
Source: Cathay Pacific Airways Limited.
