Brazilian jet-builder Embraer set out a new series Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) targets, including a commitment to carbon neutral operations by 2040. The new “social responsibilities and environmental goals” are integrated into its corporate sustainability plan, it added.
“At Embraer, we recognize the urgency of the climate crisis and we are fully committed to a more sustainable future,” stated Francisco Gomes Neto, Embraer president and CEO of Embraer. “We are stepping up our efforts to minimize our carbon footprint by remaining dedicated to innovating solutions that have a broader impact for our customers, our local communities, and our aircraft.”
Toward the goal of carbon neutrality by 2040, from the 2018 baseline, Embraer will aim for a 50% reduction in net carbon emissions by that date; derive 100% of energy requirements from renewable sources by 2030; adopt Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), beginning this year; and target carbon-neutral growth beginning in 2022 (from a 2021 baseline.)
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is produced using waste oils from biological sources (e.g., cooking oil, other non-palm waste oils from plants, agricultural residue, or non-fossil CO2), or solid waste from homes or businesses (e.g., packaging, paper, textiles, food waste.)
Embraer has aligned itself with the boarder aviation industry goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and committed to develop products, services, and “disruptive sustainable technologies” like electrification, hybrid, SAF, and other energy alternatives.
Embraer Executive Jets, Melbourne, Florida, is the company’s first industrial facility to use SAF regularly, starting this year.
Toward the 2050 goal, Embraer stated it plans to o work with suppliers to make current aircraft compatible with 100% SAF use; work with suppliers to expand SAF production globally; improve the fuel-efficiency of current Embraer aircraft series; and launch a zero-emission eVTOL aircraft by 2026.
As for its sociological and governance goals, Embraer aims to have women comprise 25% of its Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering program by 2025; to have more than 80% of students from Embraer high schools graduate to public universities; and launch a program to select 1,500 people from groups underrepresented in technology by 2025, to provide qualification training for tech-related job opportunities.
“The demand for qualified professionals in the technology field is growing in the global job market; however, they are often not within the reach of underrepresented groups. With Social Tech, it is our hope to contribute to eliminating these social and economic barriers," stated Carlos Alberto Griner, Embraer’s vice president of People, ESG, and Communications.
Finally, Embraer committed to “delivering and enhancing continuous diversity and inclusion training for 100% of its leadership positions by 2021, and all employees by 2022. Embraer is continuing its diverse recruiting policy and committed to hiring 50% diverse hires for entry-level employee programs by 2025 and will increase the representation of women in senior leadership to 20% by 2025.”
