From trees to fuel, Korean Air's ESG efforts take off

Korean Air is making strides in environmental, social and governance (ESG) management. The company’s accumulated efforts have already yielded results, from global volunteer activities and social contribution programs to the implementation of...

Employees partake in the Korean Air Forest volunteer project in Mongolia. [KOREAN AIR]

Korean Air is making strides in environmental, social and governance (ESG) management.

The company’s accumulated efforts have already yielded results, from global volunteer activities and social contribution programs to the implementation of high-efficiency aircraft and sustainable fuel usage to reduce carbon emissions.

One such program is the Korean Air Forest in Mongolia, where company employees plant trees in rows to create windbreaks that prevent the rapid desertification of Baganuur.

The efforts have transformed the region into a 44-hectare forest, twice the size of Yeouido Park in western Seoul. Its creation dates back two decades to when former Hanjin Group President Cho Yang-ho broke ground along with 100 new Korean Air employees in 2004.

The forest now contains 125,300 trees of 12 different types that can survive in an arid environment, such as poplar, Siberian elm, sea buckthorn and willow.

The forest serves as a protective barrier stretching two kilometers (1.24 miles) long and 222 meters (728 feet) wide, shielding the town from the nearby coal mines, which emit windborne particles and dust.

The trees have achieved a growth rate of 95 percent, with the tallest tree reaching a height of 12 meters.

The forest also provides benefits to environment of the Baganuur district. Wild animals such as larks, cuckoo birds, swallows, rabbits and foxes have been observed to inhabit the territory, signaling the gradual restoration of the local ecosystem.

Korean Air has restarted its tree-planting and afforestation volunteer projects with the dispatch of 112 employees, including new staff, over a two-week period starting from May 20, reflecting its commitment to continuing the program after a four-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The ESG effort continues on the business front, with Korean Air's mid- and long-term vision to retire its old aircraft and replace them with new models that offer improved fuel efficiency.

The company announced in March that it would sign a contract with Airbus to purchase 33 A350 planes, a mid- and large-sized model touted by the manufacturer as “innovative” in design offering greater efficiency in flight.

More than 50 percent of the fuselage is composed of carbon composite materials, which offer enhanced fuel efficiency compared to similar-level aircraft and reduce carbon emissions by 25 percent.

The flag carrier also introduced 143 new aircraft, including 50 Airbus A321neo, 10 Boeing 787-9, 20 Boeing 787-10 and 30 Boeing 737-8, thus adding momentum to its goal of reducing carbon emissions.

The airline has also adopted Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and is determined to implement its use.

SAF is made from raw materials, composed of used cooking oil, agricultural by-products and waste matter. It can be combined with existing fuel and is capable of reducing carbon emissions by up to 80 percent compared to fossil fuel-based aviation fuels, making it an eco-friendly alternative energy source.

Korean Air has been actively promoting the use of SAF in the domestic aviation industry. In 2021, the airline began collaborating with oil companies in the country to lay the groundwork for the production and use of SAF, while also conducting market surveys as well as research and development.

In January 2022, the airline became the first in the nation to use SAF to power aircraft on routes connecting Paris and Incheon. The following year saw the first successful operation of SAF-powered flights domestically. Korean Air has also agreed to collaborate with global energy corporation Shell, effective for five years from 2026, on the supply of SAF from the Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

The company’s efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Last year, the airline received an “Integrated Grade A” for the fourth consecutive year in the ESG evaluation conducted by the Korea Institute of Corporate Governance and Sustainability, the largest ESG-rating and proxy advisory firm in the country.

Korean Air has also been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices, a global sustainability benchmark, for two consecutive years.

BY JEONG SEONWU [jeong.seonwu@joongang.co.kr]