(Credit: JetBlue)JetBlue is beginning a program that will use data to track travel emissions to help the airline make decisions regarding sustainability efforts; it will share this information in its Sustainable Travel Partners program.
The airline will obtain the information through a partnership with Salesforce and its Net Zero Cloud platform. Net Zero Cloud allows businesses to track, analyze and report on reliable sustainability data to help achieve carbon neutrality goals.
JetBlue says accessing real-time emissions data has traditionally been difficult, and the platform will help it gather accurate information quickly. The company says the information will help it plan for its 2040 net zero target as well as help provide corporate emissions data to others based on JetBlue flights.
As part of the partnership, Salesforce is also joining JetBlue’s Sustainable Travel Partners, where it will help source 325,000 gallons of sustainable aviation fuel. The company will also use the JetBlue program to track its business travel, an area in which it wants to reduce emissions by 50%.
The Sustainable Travel Partners program provides company specific emissions data and includes a booking tool that recommends the lowest-emissions modes of travel. That can include switching routes or using more viable alternatives, such as traveling by rail instead of air.
The program also offers its partners the opportunity to purchase SAF certificates from JetBlue.
SAF is a big part of the airline industry’s path to sustainability. The major US airlines have pledged with along with the US government to purchase 3 billion gallons of SAF by 2030.
JetBlue made a deal in July 2021 to receive 1.5 million gallons of SAF per year for three years at Los Angeles International Airport. The airline also said in 2020 it had reached carbon neutrality on US commercial flights.
Additionally, sustainable travel information is a growing trend in the industry.
In 2021, Google started including travel search engine results with information indicating what businesses such as hotels sustainability efforts and successes are. Google is also working with sustainable travel group Travalyst to measure airline emissions.
Salesforce says it is encouraging its travel suppliers to set science-based targets and provide the company with carbon neutral products. This effort will be part of Salesforce’s Sustainability Exhibit, which calls for its supply chain to meet sustainable goals.
In 2021 Salesforce also joined the Sustainable Aviation Buyers Alliance, which helps encourage investment in SAF, and the company has pledged to replace 5% of its jet fuel demand with no or low carbon alternatives.
