Norwegian has partnered with Oslo-based technology company Chooose to offer passengers the option of offsetting the carbon footprint of their flights.
When selecting a flight, customers are informed how Norwegian’s flight emissions compare to the industry average, and a CO2 emissions calculation is then made “based on the official methodology of the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the International Council of Clean Transportation (ICCT) and Norwegian’s own flight emissions data”.
Passengers are then offered the option of offsetting their carbon footprint during the checkout process.
Norwegian said that the offsetting “is then performed through carefully selected CO2-reducing clean energy projects in regions Norwegian flies to”. The projects are certified by the UN and the Gold Standard, and currently include supporting coastal wind energy in Vietnam, converting landfill gas to energy in Thailand, and run-of-river hydro energy in rural Laos.
The carrier is also the first airline to sign the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) pledge, which commits Norwegian to becoming climate neutral by 2050.
Commenting on the news Geir Karlsen, Acting CEO of Norwegian said:
“Norwegian has been named one of the world’s most environmentally friendly airlines and we are continuously working to reduce our emissions through new initiatives. We’re now putting a price on actual carbon emissions from flying, making it easy for all our customers to take climate action.
“Even if commercial aviation technology continues to develop and Norwegian keeps reducing its environmental impact, emission-free flying is not possible today. Carbon offsetting is an important tool in managing today’s emissions, and we know that many of our customers would like to compensate for emissions associated with their journey.”
Airlines are increasingly embracing carbon offsetting schemes, with some choosing to offset on behalf of their customers, including British Airways and Easyjet.
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