United Airlines
Sustainability Goals
Current Sustainability Goals
2030 Goal
- Replace at least 5% of conventional jet fuel demand with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) that reduces lifecycle GHG emissions by 85% or more compared with conventional jet fuel (First Mover Coalition commitment).
2035 Goal
- Reduce carbon intensity by 50% compared to 2019 (validated by SBTi, aligned to well below 2.0°C)
2050 Goal
- Achieve net-zero, reducing 100% of its GHG emissions without relying on traditional carbon offsets. Four pathways to success:
- REDUCE our environmental footprint: We are focused on maximizing operational and fuel efficiency and reducing the usage of conventional (or fossil) jet fuel, the combustion of which is the largest contributor to our environmental footprint.
- INNOVATE in carbon reduction technologies: We recognize that we will not be able to eliminate all jet fuel consumption by 2050. Our primary pathway toward reducing our environmental footprint is through replacing conventional jet fuel with sustainable aviation fuel ("SAF"), the most promising solution that can reduce emissions from our operations, based on lifecycle emissions reductions.
- REMOVE carbon: We intend to focus on efforts beyond current ways of reducing emissions by also focusing on carbon removal, through technologies to either sequester carbon or to potentially utilize captured carbon to make low-carbon, or even carbon-negative, fuels in the future.
- COLLABORATE with various stakeholders: We know we cannot do this alone. United will work in collaboration with employees, customers, airports, suppliers, cross-industry partners, policymakers and others to advance the future of sustainable flight.
Latest Sustainability Reporting
2023 Corporate Responsibility Report (April 2024)
Highlights
- First airline globally to announce publicly a climate goal without reliance on traditional carbon offsets.
- First U.S. airline to show customers an estimate of their flights’ carbon footprint when booking.
- Enhanced disclosures on climate strategy, metrics and targets, and risks and governance for its Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures reporting.
- As of March 2023, 34% of system wide motorized ground service equipment was electric powered.
- In 2022, reduced total waste by over 6,000 tons and improved our annual recycling total by more than 1,000 tons, diverting waste from landfills.
- Near-perfect pay equity for employees of all genders and races performing comparable work across U.S. management and administration roles.
- More than 90% of new-hire interview slates for management and administrative roles included a diverse makeup of candidates.
- Doubled diverse supplier spend year over year in 2022 (to $172 million), and aims to reach $400 million in 2023.
- Included in Diversity Inc.’s Top 50 Companies for Diversity 2023 list.
Recent News
2024
United Airlines Ventures Sustainable Flight Fund — Added eight new corporate partners to this sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)-focused investment fund. This brings total capital to over $200 million and membership to 22. New partners include CEF member Google. (Feb 2024)
2023
Joined the CEF member network in December 2023!
UNITED — The United Airlines Ventures Sustainable Flight Fund, a way to increase the supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by supporting SAF start-ups, has increased its investment power to nearly $200 million and added eight new corporate partners, five months after its initial launch. New members include CEF member Bank of America and inaugural fund partners include CEF members Boeing, GE Aerospace, Honeywell, and JPMorgan Chase. (July 2023)
UNITED — Announced it would use 10 million gallons (37.9 million liters) of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in 2023, three times what the company used in 2022. United also announced eight new participants in its Eco-Skies Alliance program to support SAF use on United’s Flights, including CEF members Bank of America and Cisco, bringing the total number in the program to 24. (May 2023)
United announced eight new participants in its Eco-Skies Alliance program to support SAF use on United’s Flights, including CEF members Bank of America and Cisco, bringing the total number in the program to 24. (May 2023)
BLUE BLADE ENERGY — United Airlines, energy infrastructure company Tallgrass, and biorefining company Green Plains announced a new joint venture, Blue Blade Energy, to develop and commercialize a novel ethanol-based sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technology. If successful, Blue Blade will construct a pilot facility in 2024, followed by a full-scale facility by 2028. The companies will invest up to $50 million to develop the technology, and United has entered into an offtake agreement for up to 135 million gallons of SAF annually and up to 2.7 billion gallons in total. (Feb 2023)
The United Airlines Ventures Sustainable Flights Fund — United Airlines, along with five corporate partners, launched this first-of-its-kind investment vehicle to support start-ups focused on accelerating the research, production, and technologies associated with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The fund starts with more than $100 million in investments from United and its inaugural partners: Air Canada and CEF Members Boeing, GE Aerospace (GE), JPMorgan Chase, and Honeywell. Customers can also donate to the fund when buying a ticket (with the first 10,000 receiving 500 United Miles). (Feb 2023)
2022
UNITED / DIMENSIONAL ENERGY — Signed a commercial agreement under which United will purchase 300 million gallons of Dimensional Energy’s first-of-its-kind carbon-neutral sustainable aviation fuel over twenty years. The fuel is made using just three readily available components—captured CO2, water, and a catalyst—in a reactor powered by renewable energy. The process, in addition to being carbon neutral, is also relatively easy to scale because it isn’t limited by feedstock supply. Use of the fuel will contribute to United’s commitment to achieve carbon neutrality, without carbon offsets, by 2050. (June 2022)
United Airlines Ventures (UAV) and Oxy Low Carbon Ventures (OLCV) announced a collaboration with Houston-based biotech firm Cemvita Factory to develop the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) through a new process using synthetic microbes that convert CO2 into hydrocarbons. If development is successful, UAV and OLCV plan to form a joint venture to commercialize the technology. Cemvita is the third SAF-related technology in which UAV has invested. (May 2022)
2021
Eco-Skies Alliance — 12 companies, including CEF members Meta, Microsoft, and Visa, joined United Airlines’ corporate alliance to reduce aviation-related environmental impact and create demand for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Existing signatories have collectively contributed to the purchase of over 7 million gallons of SAF this year—enough to eliminate approximately 66,000 metric tons of GHG emissions. (Dec 2021)
HONEYWELL / UNITED AIRLINES — Announced a new multi-million-dollar investment in cleantech company Alder Fuels for what they say is the largest ever sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) agreement. They aim to produce a carbon-negative SAF that is a 100% replacement for petroleum fuel by coupling Honeywell’s Ecofining™ process with Alder Fuels’ SAF technologies. United Airlines committed to purchasing 1.5 billion gallons of the new SAF over 20 years—1.5 times the size of all airlines’ publicly announced commitments combined. (Sept 2021)
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UNITED AIRLINES — Announced that at least 50% of the students in its United Aviate Academy will be women and people of color as it seeks to train 5,000 new pilots by 2030. It has partnered with JPMorgan Chase to offer scholarship opportunities. (April 2021)