Qantas doubles contributions to carbon offsetting
But will you score double points?
Qantas has announced that it will match every dollar paid by passengers towards carbon offsets, as part of a plan to reduce its net carbon emissions to zero by 2050.
"Qantas offsets all of its own travel needs and so do many of our customers," CEO Alan Joyce said in a statement announcing the new plan. "By matching their efforts, we're hoping it will encourage even more people to offset and the program will keep growing."
Currently, around 10% of Qantas passengers choose to pay for carbon offsets when they fly. Qantas is hoping that by matching those contributions, more passengers will choose the offset option.
Since July this year, Qantas customers have been able to earn Qantas Points when paying for offsets. For each $1 you spend, you receive 10 Qantas Points.
One warning for frequent flyers: ideally, don't spend your Qantas Frequent Flyer points to pay for your carbon offsets. While it doesn't require a huge number of points, it doesn't represent good dollar value for those points. You're usually better off paying for the offset in cash and earning the 10 Qantas Points per dollar spent instead.
The new dollar matching deal is part of a broader suite of measures Qantas has announced, including $50 million in funding for research into sustainable aviation fuel and a commitment to cap its nets emissions at 2020 levels.
From that year, Qantas will offset all growth in emissions from domestic and international operations.
That will include the much discussed "Project Sunrise" non-stop flights from Australia to the UK and the US.
A decision on whether that project will proceed is expected before the end of 2019.
In a similar vein, earlier this year Qantas ran a zero-waste flight from Sydney to Adelaide.
If you're looking for other ways to reduce your own environmental impact, check out our Finder Green hub for loads of practical ideas.
Angus Kidman's Findings column looks at new developments and research that help you save money, make wise decisions and enjoy your life more. It appears regularly on Finder.
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