British Airways has signed a deal to purchase more than £9 million worth of carbon removal credits over six years, with the airline describing itself as “the largest carbon removals purchaser in the UK”.
The carrier, which has also called itself the largest purchasing airline of carbon removals, has bought 33,000 tonnes of credits through its CUR8 portfolio, while further credits have been sourced from Climeworks and 1PointFive.
Carrie Harris, director of sustainability at BA, described the scale of the contributions as “small” compared with the airline’s total emissions, but added: “There is no pathway to net zero for aviation without carbon removals.”
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Carbon removal is the process of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it safely for a long-term period, ideally centuries.
BA’s removals portfolio includes storing carbon in trees and soils, capturing carbon dioxide directly from the air for storage underground, and projects working on enhanced rock weathering across multiple locations in the UK.
A scheme in Scotland will involve capturing carbon dioxide emissions from whisky distilleries and repurposing them into building materials, while the airline will also purchase credits from two companies increasing the amount of forested land in Scotland and Wales.
The airline’s portfolio also includes Canadian projects focusing on carbon removal from rivers and oceans using alkaline rock particles. In India, the airline is backing a biochar project that “empowers female farmers while enhancing soil biodiversity and farm yields”.
Harris said: “As we approach the halfway point in this critical decade of action, we’re sharpening our focus on delivering real, tangible progress by 2030.
“We know flying has a significant impact on the planet, and achieving net zero by 2050 requires bold, innovative action today, as well as long-term transformation, and our latest investments in carbon removals reflects this commitment.
“While small in comparison to our total emissions, these projects are crucial in stimulating the carbon removals market.
“By supporting pioneering solutions, we’re not only contributing to immediate progress but also laying the groundwork for the large-scale changes needed to meet our climate goals.”
Marta Krupinska, chief executive of CUR8, a UK-based company specialising in sourcing high-quality carbon removal credits, said: “British Airways understands that carbon removals are not a nice-to-have, but an essential part of the aviation sector’s net zero journey.”
She added: “We’ve been proud to partner with this aviation leader to build a portfolio that combines the best of nature and human engineering, stretching from UK soils to the oceans and rivers of Canada.
“At CUR8, we bring together the world’s leading scientists and climate software to help organisations source and manage carbon removals to help de-risk their net zero future.
“British Airways is a leading brand that recognises that with this early investment, it can help to make an impact not only for themselves but for the industry at large.”
Aside from the partnerships arranged through CUR8, BA said it had also purchased a “small number” of carbon removal credits from Climeworks, which operates the world’s two largest ‘direct air capture’ plants in Iceland and intends to expand internationally
In addition, BA has purchased credits from 1PointFive, a US-based company developing a direct air capture plant in Texas.
In 2019, BA became part of the first airline group to commit to net zero emissions by 2050 or sooner.
The carrier has now revealed it has become a global alliance member of the Earthshot Prize, founded by Prince William.
The annual prize is presented to five winners for their contributions towards environmentalism.