Climate & Environment HeroClimate & Environment
2024 Boeing Sustainability & Social Impact Report
The Boeing 2024 Sustainability & Social Impact Report outlines progress we’ve made on employee well-being, diversity and inclusion, our environmental efforts and positively impacting our global communities, with safety and quality core to all we do. In driving sustainability progress, we consider how every product we build, deliver and service affects our world, while striving to operate work sites sustainably and efficiently.
See how Boeing is working across the industry to achieve an even safer and more sustainable aerospace future.
Latest News
X-66 model breezes through 1st wind tunnel tests
Boeing’s Sustainable Flight Demonstrator completes key step toward design validation, setting up future tech breakthroughs.
Boeing Partners with Norsk e-Fuel to Advance SAF Production and Reduce Aviation Emissions
Strategic partnership will foster supply of sustainable aviation fuel in the Nordics to help meet global demand.
Cleanup begins on contaminated waterway in Seattle
Boeing works with local governments to restore the Lower Duwamish Waterway, repairing 20th century industrial contamination.
Aviation: Benefits Beyond Borders
Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) released its latest report that provides a snapshot of the economic and social impact of the global aviation sector.
Sustainable Aerospace
We take a multi-faceted approach to reduce the impact on our planet while growing the societal benefits of aerospace. To bring these strategies to life and show how each can cut emissions, we created the Boeing Cascade Climate Impact Model.
Fleet Renewal
Boeing's newest airplanes are 20-30% more efficient than the in-service airplanes they replace.
Operational Efficiency
Boeing is collaborating across industry on how to operate and fly more efficiently, which can reduce emissions by about 10%. This includes improving airplane retrofit and maintenance, fleet and airport operations, and flight and traffic management.
Renewable Energy
Boeing is shaping the future of sustainable aviation through research and technology development focused on unlocking the potential of sustainable fuels and renewable energy applications.
Advanced Technologies
Boeing is investing in innovation and clean technologies for improved aerodynamic performance, increased propulsion and systems efficiency, reduced life cycle energy use and emissions, and the latest digital design, test and production capability.
Market-Based Measures
We’re taking advantage of opportunities to reduce carbon emissions from getting into the atmosphere in the first place, investing in permanent carbon removals, and continuing to offset business travel emissions, increasing over time the proportion of permanent removals to traditional offsets in our portfolio.
Bring the strategies to life: Cascade
To show how each of the above strategies can cut emissions and help inform the most impactful and effective ways to reach net zero by 2050, Boeing created the Boeing Cascade Climate Impact Model.
Discover key topics in Sustainable Aerospace
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
SAF is produced from renewable sources – like agricultural waste, animal fats, vegetable oils and municipal solid waste – and significantly reduces carbon emissions over the fuel’s lifecycle, making it a more sustainable alternative for powering aircraft.
Today, Boeing is focused on helping catalyze SAF scaling through (1) our testing, technology investments, and product compatibility work, (2) our own fuel use, and (3) industry partnerships and policy advocacy.
Demonstrators
Throughout our history, Boeing has deployed a suite of demonstrators to test and validate new technologies, designs and renewable energy sources. By converging the knowledge of our stakeholders and accelerating innovation, we aim to reduce our carbon and non-CO2 emissions, noise, and impact on local communities while strengthening the safety of our products.
One of our most visible examples is our Boeing ecoDemonstrator program. For over a decade, Boeing's ecoDemonstrator program has accelerated innovation by taking promising technologies out of the lab and testing them in an operational environment to solve real-world challenges for airlines, passengers and the environment.
Contrails
Boeing is focused on fully understanding and mitigating negative impacts of climate change from non-CO2 aircraft engine combustion emissions and effects, including contrails and aviation induced cloudiness, which are produced by aircraft and can contribute to both warming and cooling effects.
Sustainability Firsts
Boeing is a pioneer in creating new technologies and solutions to ensure aerospace is sustainable for future generations.
2008 | A Boeing-converted Diamond DA20 conducts the world’s first crewed flight using fuel cells powered by hydrogen.
2008 | A Virgin Atlantic 747 makes the world’s first sustainable aviation fuel test flight using a commercial aircraft.
2009 | The Boeing 787 Dreamliner becomes the first commercial airplane made largely from lightweight carbon composites, informing efficient design.
2009: Boeing breaks ground on the LEED Gold-certified 787 Final Assembly facility in North Charleston, South Carolina, creating an environmentally responsible approach to construction.
2010 | Boeing supports the supersonic flight of a U.S. Navy F/A-18 on a 50/50 SAF blend - U.S. Navy photo
2010: Boeing partners with the U.S. Air Force on an in-depth fuel study as part of their efforts to certify the C-17 Globemaster to use SAF.
2011 | Boeing is a founding member of the International Aerospace Environmental Group, developing a standard approach to supply chain environmental issues and innovative solutions for the aerospace industry.
2012 | The uncrewed Phantom Eye makes several flights powered by liquid hydrogen.
2012 | The ecoDemonstrator 737-800 tests regenerative hydrogen fuel cell technology for onboard auxiliary power applications.
2015 | Boeing supports research to help small-scale farmers in South Africa bring their feedstock crops to the aviation biofuel market.
2015 | A Boeing uncrewed demonstrator flies over 100 flights in Spain using fuel cells powered by green hydrogen.
2016 | Boeing matures its Transonic Truss-Braced Wing concept after its first wind tunnel test.
2018 | The ecoDemonstrator 777 Freighter becomes the first commercial airliner in the world to fly on 100% SAF.
2018 | Boeing and ELG Carbon Fibre Ltd. create a first-of-its-kind partnership to recycle excess carbon composite fiber generated from making 777X wings.
2019 | Boeing and Kitty Hawk Corp. joint venture Wisk begins flight-testing the Cora electric air taxi for urban mobility markets.
2021 | Boeing commits to making an entire family of commercial airplanes 100% SAF capable by 2030.
2021 | A new type of composite cryogenic fuel tank, designed and manufactured by Boeing, signifying this lightweight storage technology is mature, ready and safe for use in aerospace vehicles.
2021 | Boeing begins first-of-its-kind partnership with NASA Langley Research Center to test the emissions of sustainable aviation fuels on the ecoDemonstrator.
2022 | Bought 2 million gallons of SAF to power Commercial Airplanes operations in Washington state and South Carolina through 2022.
2023 | Developed jet reference fluids to test for 100% SAF compatibility.
2023 | NASA selects Boeing to develop and flight-test a full-scale Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) Sustainable Flight Demonstrator (SFD).
2023 | Bought 5.6 million gallons of SAF for 2023 commercial operations.
2023 | The first ecoDemonstrator Explorer begins short-term operational efficiency testing.
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Sustainable Operations
Sustainable aerospace starts within our four walls. Below, we outline our four key strategies to advance sustainable operations:
Innovation and Engagement
We foster sustainable behaviors, innovation, and efficiency among our workforce, integrating sustainability into our Boeing Production System and providing training and recognition programs for developing sustainable habits.
Efficiency and Conservation
We prioritize responsible resource use, implementing measures to reduce consumption and waste generation, and optimizing building and equipment performance to achieve our sustainable operations targets.
Site Infrastructure Investment
We are focused on improving efficiency, extending equipment longevity, reducing resource use, LEED certification, and achieving operational GHG emissions reduction targets primarily through renewable electricity.
Resilience and Risk Management
We are preparing for the future by assessing and mitigating environmental risks as well as remediating our legacy environmental impacts.
Each year, thousands of people visit Santa Susana in Simi Valley, Calif., to learn more about the site’s important place in history and experience firsthand its beauty and biodiversity.Remediation
Boeing’s remediation program is focused on using innovative approaches in cleanup efforts to ensure the protection of human health and the environment, coupled with the use of invaluable input from community members and environmental groups. This, combined with the guidance of leading environmental scientists and federal and state regulatory agencies, has led to great progress in cleaning up remediation sites. Boeing also often collaborates with wildlife and conservation organizations to restore habitat for the benefit of wildlife and the community.
Efficiency and Conservation Targets
We’ve set ambitious efficiency and conservation targets across five key categories specific to our operations:
| Performance Area | 2025 Targets* | 2023 Progress (over 2017) | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Greenhouse gas emissions | Reduce emissions by 25% | 37% reduction |
 | Energy | Reduce energy consumption (natural gas, other fuels and electricity) by 10% | 12% reduction |
 | Water | Reduce water withdrawal by 20% | 19.5% reduction |
 | Solid waste | Reduce solid waste to landfill by 20% | 28.6% reduction |
 | Hazardous waste | Reduce hazardous waste by 5% | 24.9% reduction |
Environmental policy: Boeing is committed to
- Conduct operations in compliance with applicable environmental laws, regulations, and Boeing policies and procedures.
- Prevent pollution by conserving energy and resources, recycling, reducing waste, and pursuing other source reduction strategies.
- Continually improve our environmental management system.
- Work together with our stakeholders on activities that promote environmental protection and stewardship.
Fact sheets
Below are resources to help enhance understanding on important sustainability topics.
Resources
Reports
Recent related reports
2024 Sustainability Report
2023 Annual Report
2024 Proxy Statement
2023 Sustainability Report
2023 GEDI Report
Boeing 2023 Community Impact Portfolio
Previous Sustainability and Environment Reports
Boeing’s current perspective on sustainability matters is reflected in the most recent Sustainability Report. Previous Sustainability Reports are included here for their historic value, consistent with Boeing’s culture of transparency and continuous improvement. Readers should refer to Boeing’s latest Sustainability Report for the Company’s current perspective.
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