Lufthansa Publishes 2008 Sustainability Report Safeguards the future through sustainable business activities
The 2009 edition of Lufthansa’s sustainability report “Balance” is now available. It contains extensive information on the Group’s commitment to ecological, community and societal issues in pursuit of its business activities. Wolfgang Mayrhuber, Chairman of the Executive Board & CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, emphasizes: “Economic success is the fundamental prerequisite for fulfilling our self-commitment to performing equally well in other disciplines of sustainability – environmental care and social responsibility. “Balance” shows that we make investments not only in the latest technologies but also in people. That is our contribution to safeguarding the future.”
Lufthansa has an excellent reputation, worldwide, as an employer – and not without reason: In 2008, the Group invested over $275 million USD in the training and further education of its employees. Among others, it also took on 3,715 new service professionals. At the end of 2008, the Lufthansa Group employed a total of 107,800 people from 125 nations. Of the total, 35,536 were employed at the Group’s biggest base in Frankfurt am Main. Flexible work-time models have been an established element of corporate life for a long time. The number of part-time staff now accounts for 26.5 percent of the total workforce; 42.7 percent of female employees work on a part-time basis.
In 2008, Lufthansa again invested immensely in measures to protect the climate and the environment.
Fuel consumption of the Lufthansa fleet now stands at 1.8 gallons per 100 passenger-miles. The most fuel-efficient aircraft in the Group with an average fuel burn of only 0.85 gallons is the Airbus A340-300 operated by SWISS.
During the year, concrete measures were implemented in more than 120 environmental projects in order to preserve resources and reduce the impact of aviation on the planet. Lufthansa Flight Training, for example is saving 80 percent of energy consumption by utilizing new flight simulators, Lufthansa Cargo’s environmental management system has been certified to the ISO 14001 international environmental standard and the Company is testing lightweight containers to save on fuel and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Variable steering of cold storage equipment at LSG Sky Chefs has reduced energy consumption by 30 percent. The new engine water wash method developed by Lufthansa Technik can reduce the fuel burn of the Lufthansa fleet by up to 25,000 tons of kerosene and thereby curb CO2 emissions by more than 78,000 tons.
Sustainable corporate development as a fact of life at Lufthansa is evidenced by its regular inclusion in the prestigious Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Only three of the world’s airlines are featured in the Index. Lufthansa was again included for the umpteenth time in September 2008 and scored the highest rating yet for its environmental performance.
“Balance”, which has been published since 1995, provides information which highlights the importance of sustainability throughout the Lufthansa Group.
A free copy can be ordered online at www.lufthansa.com/responsibility
June 9, 2009
Posted in: Airlines & Railways