Successful Aviation Decarbonisation Through SAF & Innovations
Day 2 : 13:50 – 14:40
Aviation is one of the hard-to-abate sectors because of the use of carbon intensive jet fuel without alternatives. With the latest technological advancement, lower-carbon Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is considered the most feasible solution in near- to medium-term. However, Maximising the decarbonisation potential of SAF requires collaboration between sectors in the supply chain, and the policy incentives from the Government to make the business environment favourable to the uptake of SAF. Aside from SAF, industry stakeholders are also exploring other technological and systemic innovations to decarbonise aviation. This session will discuss such innovations and how to strengthen SAF development in Hong Kong.
Learnings
- What are the current climate challenges perceived by the aviation industry?
- How do other regions do to promote the uptake of SAF?
- What are the other technological and systematic innovations that are promising for aviation decarbonisation ?
- How can we take a step further to make Hong Kong aviation more sustainable, in the context of regulation, finance mechanism, supply and demand, SAF positioning in holistic HK context?
Post-event Actions
- Adopt practices to support the aviation sectors to make wider use of SAF a reality in Hong Kong.
- Strengthen Hong Kong’s position as sustainable aviation hub through innovative decarbonisation initiatives.
Speakers
Moderator
Merlin Lao
Head – Policy & Research
Merlin Lao
Head – Policy & Research
Mr. Merlin Lao is Head of Policy & Research at BEC. He leads the team to share develop clear policy positions on pressing climate and environmental topics in Hong Kong, through undertaking research on latest domestic and international trends, engaging with the Hong Kong SAR Government and connecting insights of the local business sector.
My Sustainability Goals for 2023:
Mainstream circular economy actions along all value chain processes.
Grace Cheung
General Manager Sustainability
Cathay Pacific
Grace Cheung
Cathay Pacific
General Manager Sustainability
Grace Cheung is the General Manager of Group Sustainability Department at Cathay Pacific. Since taking up her role in 2017, Grace has turned sustainability from a standalone specialist function to an integrated strategic and operational imperative in the airline group.
During Grace’s tenure, Cathay Pacific has committed for its net zero carbon emissions goal by 2050, supported by its mid-term target for using 10% sustainable aviation fuel(SAF) by 2030. The airline group is a founding member of Hong Kong Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition (HKSAFC)in 2024 and has also launched the first major Corporate SAF Programme in Asia in 2022. The airline has also cut more than 50% of its inflight single-use plastics (SUP) in 2023 compared to 2018.
Grace represents the airline in a number of industry working groups devoted to sustainability and environmental issues, including the ones at International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Oneworld Alliance.
My Sustainability Goals for 2024:
1. HK Government releases a more concrete policy to support SAF deployment in HK without negative impact on the competitiveness of HK’s role of international aviation hub.
2. The awareness of importance of SAF from the public is enhanced.
Vincent De Givry
Principal
Blunomy
Vincent De Givry
Blunomy
Principal
Vincent is a specialist in energy transition for businesses and financial institutions. He has been for 2 years with Blunomy, a strategy advisory firm based in Hong Kong. Prior to this, he spent 30 years working in industry, the last 5 of which were spent transforming business portfolios with a low carbon offering. He is passionate about analysing opportunities, changing business models, building coalitions and looking in detail at the challenges to successful decarbonisation. He has strong expertise in the Asian market, advising some major companies on their energy and climate transition.
My Sustainability Goals for 2024:
Support Hong Kong in drawing up a solid roadmap for energy transition that can be rapidly activated and that will enable the city to become a world leader and a green benchmark
Sarah Lang
Chief of Staff/ Sustainability Representative APAC
Lufthansa Group
Sarah Lang
Lufthansa Group
Chief of Staff/ Sustainability Representative APAC
Sarah works as Chief of Staff and sustainability Representative for Lufthansa Group in APAC. She has more than 10 years of experience in International Consulting and Mobility Start-ups focusing on, Digital Transformation and Sustainability Strategy.
Chris Wong
Assistant General Manager – Property Portfolio & Aviation Franchises
Airport Authority Hong Kong
Chris Wong
Airport Authority Hong Kong
Assistant General Manager – Property Portfolio & Aviation Franchises
Chris is currently the Assistant General Manager for Property Portfolio & Aviation Franchises for the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA).
He is responsible for overseeing the aviation franchises at HKIA including aviation fuel, air catering, aircraft maintenance and business aviation, etc. He manages the property portfolio of HKIA which covers airport hotels and airline offices. He works closely with the industry stakeholders in managing the aviation fuel system of HKIA especially the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
Chris has over 20 years of experience in aviation and logistics industry. Before joining AAHK, he was working in a listed conglomerate in Hong Kong with active involvement in various infrastructure investments such as Airport, Railway, Port Terminal and Logistic Centre. He was also a core member in the investment and development of a top 10 global aircraft lessor with a fleet of over 200 aircraft.
Supported by
Hong Kong Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition
The Hong Kong Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition (“HKSAFC”) is a programme launched by Business Environment Council, that engages stakeholders in developing Hong Kong’s position as a regional and global hub for SAF; and promotes the introduction of SAF industry-related support policies to the HKSAR Government. The HKSAFC works collectively with all relevant stakeholders across the value chain.
Our sustainability goals for 2025
- Supporting the Government to introduce industry-related policies of SAF
- Striving to accelerate the deployment of credible SAF in Hong Kong
- Contributing to the low-carbon economy transition of Hong Kong and the national goal of carbon neutrality
- Strengthening the position of Hong Kong as a leading aviation hub and sustainable finance centre
- Encouraging airline uptake of SAF across flight portfolios to reduce carbon emissions
- Supporting cutting-edge research and development on SAF production, technology and
certification with regional cooperation - Mainstreaming sustainable finance initiatives to support SAF development
- Establishing a platform for stakeholders to share expertise and best practices to enable
mainstream usage of SAF
Products, Services & Solutions
- Circular Solutions
- Efficient Energy & Utilities
- Sustainability Products
- Technology & Innovation
- Transport/Mobility
General Enquiry Email Address: pradmin@bec.org.hk
With thanks to
Lufthansa Group
Networking Lounge Co-Sponsor
The Lufthansa Group is an aviation group with operations worldwide. It plays a leading role in its European home market. With 101,709 employees, the Lufthansa Group generated revenue of EUR 37,581m in the financial year 2024.
The Lufthansa Group consists of the business segments Passenger Airlines, Logistics, MRO and Additional Businesses. The Passenger Airlines business segment includes, on the one hand, the network airlines Lufthansa Airlines, SWISS, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines. As part of a multi-hub strategy, they offer their passengers a broad range of flights from their hubs in Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna and Brussels. Lufthansa Airlines also has close relationships with the regional airlines Lufthansa CityLine, Lufthansa City Airlines and Air Dolomiti as well as Discover Airlines, the Lufthansa Group’s holiday airline. Edelweiss, the leading Swiss holiday airline, has a close relationship with SWISS.
Eurowings also belongs to the Passenger Airlines business segment. This airline provides a comprehensive range of point-to-point connections for short- and medium-haul destinations, in particular from German-speaking countries.
Our sustainability goals for 2025:
Sustainability is an integral part of the Lufthansa Group’s corporate strategy
Doing business sustainably and responsibly is embedded in the Lufthansa Group’s corporate strategy. The Lufthansa Group is convinced that it has an obligation to create value for customers, employees and investors in the long term, and to meet its responsibility towards the environment, people and society. As one of the world’s largest and leading airline groups the Lufthansa Group strives to play an active role in shaping global aviation, also in terms of sustainability, and to set standards. In its mission statement, the Lufthansa Group states that it connects people, cultures and economies in a sustainable way. It uses the potential of innovation and digitalisation to strengthen its focus on sustainability. Dialogue with stakeholders and compliance with Company-wide standards play a key role in ensuring a balance.
The Lufthansa Group has set ambitious climate protection goals. It aims to halve its net carbon emissions from flight operations by 2030 compared to 2019, and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. As an additional goal, the Lufthansa Group aims to become carbon neutral within their mobility on the ground in its home markets by 2030. The Lufthansa Group has joined the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and is following a clearly defined CO₂ reduction path. Lufthansa Group’s target to achieve a 30.6% reduction in CO₂ intensity in 2030 compared to 2019 was successfully validated in 2022 by SBTi as the first European airline group and the second worldwide.
THE LUFTHANSA GROUP’S TOOLS FOR ACHIEVING ITS CLIMATE GOALS
- Fleet modernization: More modern and fuel-efficient aircraft provide the greatest leverage for reducing CO₂ emissions in this decade.
- Offsetting: High-quality, certified offset projects that promote climate change mitigation worldwide are complemented by CORSIA, the international offset instrument for carbon-neutral growth in air transport.
- Alternative transport to hubs: The expansion and interconnection of air, rail and bus services makes it possible to reduce the number of short-haul flights and offer alternative modes of travel.
- Sustainable aviation fuels: The key to making flying more climate-friendly is to increase the use of sustainable fuels.
- Efficiency in flight operations: Tools used every day to reduce carbon emissions include intelligent route planning, modern approach procedures, and the latest technologies.
UN SDG(s) that we align with:
- SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
- SDG 4 Quality Education
- SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy
- SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
- SDG 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities
- SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
- SDG 13 Climate Action
- SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
- SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals
Legal Name: Lufthansa German Airlines
General Enquiry Email Address: hongkong.lufthansa@dlh.de
General Enquiry Phone Number: 2868 2313
Meet our speakers:
Cathay Pacific
As a Hong Kong-based airline with extensive global networks, Cathay Pacific is committed to adopting sustainable practices within our operations and along the value chain. Together with our people, customers and industry partners, we are leading the way for a sustainable and carbon neutral future.
Our sustainability goals for 2025:
- Continue to focus on quality, compliance and operational excellence to ensure our customers and our people are as safe as possible
- Devise short, mid and long term work plans to meet net zero carbon goals by 2050
- Engage in innovative projects related to single-use plastics and food waste reduction
- Prioritise employee safety and wellbeing while adapting to the changing business circumstances
- Support local communities where we serve
UN SDG goals that we align with:
- SDG 5 Gender Equality
- SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
- SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
- SDG 13 Climate Action
- SDG 14 Life below Water
- SDG 15 Life on Land
Legal Name: Cathay Pacific Airways Limited
General Enquiry Email Address: sustainability@cathaypacific.com
General Enquiry Phone Number: 27473333