The increased importance of sustainability is one of five forces that Coresight Research expects to make an impact in retail in 2020. Although falling outside of our usual focus areas of retail and retail technology, Delta Air Lines’ February 14 announcement of plans to invest $1 billion into becoming the first carbon-neutral airline is of such scale as to be noteworthy. Delta announced that it will make the largest commitment of any global airline to reduce its environmental impact over the next decade. Delta’s carbon-neutral plan is focused around three key concepts:

• Carbon reduction: Delta will focus on renewing its fleet, improving flight operations, reducing aircraft weight and using sustainable fuels.
• Carbon removal: Delta will invest in carbon removal programs including forestry, wetland restoration, grassland conservation, marine and soil capture, and other negative emissions technologies.
• Stakeholder engagement: Through coalition engagement with its employees, suppliers, global partners, customers, industry colleagues, investors and other stakeholders, Delta will advance its carbon removal goals and establish new projects to mitigate the balance of emissions.

This plan builds on actions that the airline has already taken to become more sustainable. In 2019, Delta added 80 aircraft to its fleet that are 25% more fuel efficient than the aircraft they are replacing. The impact of these changes could be significant, as the company reported that in 2018, its carbon dioxide emissions amounted to 377 million metric tons, with 98% coming from aircraft emissions. The aviation industry currently accounts for 2% of carbon dioxide emissions, and it has seen a 32% increase in emissions over the past five years, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation.