E
Sustainable Environment
S
Prosperous Society
G
Corporate Governance

Green Performance

Environmental protection is key to China Airlines. We actively seek operational success and ecological benefits, leading sustainable growth in Taiwan’s aviation.

Green Performance

Environmental protection is our important cornerstone for corporate sustainable development that we continue to create green performance. For more information on environmental performance, refer to Appendix Environmental Performance.

Achievements in Environmental Sustainability

CAL continued to focus on the following tasks: improving environmental and energy management, strengthening carbon management, building capacity for supply chain environmental management, and promoting environmental awareness. Through Corporate Environmental Committee and its five environmental management committees and functional task forces, CAL continues to improve and enhance environmental performance and ecological efficiency.

01

Perfecting Environmental and Energy Management Operation

Energy Management Water Resource Management Air Pollution Prevention Noise Control Wastewater Management Waste Management

02

Consolidating Climate Risk Management and Carbon Reduction

Key Achievement : Concern for Climate Change

03

Building Capacity for Value Chain Environmental Management

Key achievements : Continuing to Deepen the Group's GHG Management Efforts

04

Strengthening Awareness and Brand Image of Corporate Environmental Protection

Key achievements : "CAL ECO Path" for corporate headquarters environmental actions
Key achievements : CAL participated in SkyTeam “The Aviation Challenge, TAC”.

Greenhouse Gas

In accordance with the guidelines of ISO/CNS 14064-1 and the Greenhouse Gases Protocol, CAL conducts annual surveys for international aviation fuel and greenhouse emissions of all ground operations to monitor the overall greenhouse gas emission conditions. Starting from 2015, CAL calculated the emissions from the products purchased, capital goods, fuel and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or 2, upstream and downstream transportation and distribution, waste treatment, employee commuting, upstream and downstream leased assets, and investments based on 15 classification requirements of the GHG Protocol Scope 3 Guidance. The greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 are summarized below:


Source of Emission Analysis Method Approach Year Types of GHG Biofuel
  • Aviation fuel
  • Petrol and diesel used by official vehicles / engineering vehicles / forklifts / tow trucks
  • Refrigerant used to replenish vehicles / air conditioner / drink dispensers
  • Diesel used by emergency generations / boilers / fire trucks
  • Halon / CO2  / FM200 / FE36 fire extinguishers LPG and oxy-acetylene used during aircraft maintenance
  • GCB
  • Natural gas used by restaurant and boiler
  • Septic tanks
 Quantitative analysis Annual GHG inventory and external verification 2009 CO2 , N2O,
CH4, HFCs,
 1~2% biofuel, SAF

Note: Bureau of Energy, Ministry of Economic Affairs has postponed to implement biofuel policy since May 2014.

Source of Emission Analysis Method Approach Year Types of GHG Biofuel
  • Externally purchased electricity
 Quantitative analysis Annual GHG inventory and external verification 2009 CO2e Based on the power generation structure published by Taiwan Power Company
Source of Emission Analysis Method Approach Year Types of GHG Biofuel
  • Upstream and downstream transportation and distribution
  • Business travel
  • Employee commuting
  • Client and visitor transportation
  • Purchased goods and services
  • Fuel and energy related activities (not included in category 1 or category 2)
  • Waste generated in operations
  • Franchises
  • Downsteam rental assets
 Quantitative analysis Perform annual identification, inventory and verification based on CAL’s indirect GHG emissions identification procedure and tool 2020 CO2e Based on the emission source characteristics
GHG Emissions of CAL, Mandarin Airlines, and Tigerair Taiwan

(Unit: tons CO2e)

Scope of GHG Company Items 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Category 1 China Airlines Flight operations 7,229,903 7,059,083 5,787,751 5,875,531 5,435,050 6,048,568
Ground Operations in Taiwan 3,511 4,981 3,051 2,897 4,041 3,028
Ground Operations in Outstations (Note) - 362 211 197 497 1,242
Mandarin Airlines Flight operations 255,241 237,699 107,505 63,987 89,500 120.439
Tigerair Taiwan Flight operations 336,684 362,794 53,514 988 31,306 305,107
Category 2 China Airlines Ground operations 19,949 18,169 17,572 16,697 16,468 15,767
Categories 3-6(Note) China Airlines Ground operations 1,644,656 1,607,690 1,326,227 1,364,016 1,240,935 1,389,211

Note 1: The statistics contain 100% of the aviation fuels used by China Airlines (including both domestic and overseas branches, outstations), Mandarin Airlines, and Tigerair Taiwan.

Note 2: CAL 2023 7,458,888 metric tons of CO2e (representing 100% of total emissions) have been verified by an verification body in accordance with ISO 14064-1:2018 standard, ISO 14066:2011, ISO 14065:2020 and ISO 14064-3:2019 standards and guidelines. The verification opinion is reasonable assurance. Before 2022, only emissions of ground operations in outstations (< total amount of 0.03%) have not been verified by the third-party.

Note 3: CAL adheres to ISO 14064-1:2018 and the GHG Protocol Scope 3 guidelines, 15 categories of emissions are calculated, including emissions from purchased goods, capital goods, fuel and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 and 2, upstream and downstream transportation and distribution, waste disposal, employee commuting, upstream and downstream leased assets, investments, and others.

Note 4: Carbon intensity (ton CO2e / Million NTD) = GHG emissions / Revenue.

Note 5: The total emissions of Group companies were 643, 002 tons of CO2e for categories 1 and 2, 307,579 tons of CO2e for categories 3~6.

GHG Emissions: Scope 1、Scope 2


2023
2009

Aviation Fuel Performance

China Airlines
  • Unit: ton
  • Unit: GJ
Mandarin Airlines
  • Unit: ton
  • Unit: GJ
Tigerair Taiwan
  • Unit: ton
  • Unit: GJ
China Airlines
Mandarin Airlines
Tigerair Taiwan
China Airlines
Mandarin Airlines
Tigerair Taiwan
China Airlines Aircraft
China Airlines Passenger Aircraft
China Airlines Cargo Aircraft
Mandarin Airlines
Tigerair Taiwan
China Airlines Aircraft
China Airlines Passenger Aircraft
China Airlines Cargo Aircraft
Mandarin Airlines
Tigerair Taiwan

Note: Mandarin Airlines and Tigerair operate an all-passenger aircraft fleet.

Energy Conservation Management Performance

55.3 ton

Sustainable Aviation Fuels (Cumulative three-year data)

24,213 kWh

Elevator power regeneration system (Cumulative three-year data)

359 kWh

Renewable Energy - Solar Energy (Cumulative three-year data)

Types of Energy Unit 2020 2021 2022 2023
Non-renewable Fuels MWh/GJ 22,422,258 / 80,713,671 22,761,510 / 81,934,882 21,053,443 / 75,786,331 23,429,847 / 84,340,702
Renewable Fuels
(Sustainable Aviation Fuel, SAF)		 MWh/GJ - 94 / 338 181 / 650 299 / 1,076
Electricity (purchased) MWh/GJ 34,523 / 124,272 33,260 / 119,728 32,354 / 116,465 31,853/ 114,662
Solar photovolatic
(self-consumption)		 MWh/GJ 117 / 421 127 / 457 110 / 396 119 / 428
Elevator Power Regeneration System
(recycled for own use)		 KWh/GJ 1,177 / 4.24 889 / 3.20 11,213 / 40.36 12,111 / 43.60

Note 1: Non-renewable fuels include gasoline, diesel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), and aviation fuel. All CAL aircraft are counted as part of the calculation of aircraft fuel consumption.

Note 2: The scope of purchased electricity covers office areas (CAL Park, Taipei Branch, Songshan Office), maintenance divisions (Hangars 2 and 3, Engine Maintenance Plant), and Kaohsiung Branch. It included purchased electricity which accounted for 9.9% or approximately 3,153MWh of renewable energy in 2023 (source: https://reurl.cc/eXMEr7)

Note 3: In 2023, non-renewable energy consumption was 84,455,364 GJ, and renewable energy consumption was 1,504 GJ; totaling 84,456,868 GJ.

Note 4: The net calorific values for aviation fuel are based on the coefficients announced by the IPCC, while those for natural gas and sustainable aviation fuel are determined by the actual values provided by suppliers. The calorific values for residual gasoline/ diesel are calculated using the latest version of the Energy Bureau's Energy Product Unit Calorific Value Table.

Carbon Footprint, Carbon Label and ECO Travel

Since 2015, CAL has calculated and updated the carbon footprint of its own international flights based on the calculation method announced by ICAO and IATA, and it has also been disclosed on the company’s corporate social responsibility website. In 2016, CAL formulated the Product Category Rule (PCR) to establish the operating guidelines for aviation industry to calculate carbon footprint. In 2017, CAL assisted Mandarin Airlines (MDA) to complete the carbon footprint calculation and received certification of the demonstrative route from Songshan to Kinmen in accordance with the carbon footprint guidelines established by the Environmental Protection Administration (Taiwan EPA) and the said PCR. MDA of CAL Group is the world‘s first airline that receives both ISO 14067 3rd party certificate and the carbon label granted by Taiwan EPA. In 2020, MDA with helps and supports from CAL further obtained the Taiwan EPA “carbon reduction label”, making it the world’s first airline to receive this label. In 2021, MDA was highly appreciated by the low-carbon review committee of the Taiwan EPA for its promoting low carbon products, and was selected as the year’s Low Carbon Product Merit Award.MDA is the only award-winning aviation group in Taiwan to date.

Note: Mandarin Airlines calculated the carbon footprint of all domestic routes (learn more).

Carbon Label Life Cycle


"ECO Travel Carbon Offsetting Program" is a voluntary carbon offset service introduced by CAL in collaboration with internationally renowned environmental organizations. It allows passengers and cargo owners to calculate the carbon footprint generated by their flights or transportation using a carbon footprint calculator. They can then purchase carbon offset credits from carefully selected, high-quality, and sustainable projects managed by professional organizations. These credits are used to offset the carbon emissions, making the journey of passengers and cargo carbon-neutral or zero-carbon emissions, thus contributing to environmental conservation efforts. CAL has also extended this initiative to its group subsidiaries, Mandarin Airlines and Tigerair Taiwan, making it the only airline in Taiwan to promote carbon offset programs for domestic flights and low-cost carriers.

Use of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF)

CAL is the first Taiwanese airline to use Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). Since 2017, when operating new aircraft such as the A350-900 and A321neo, CAL has been using SAF, which not only reduces carbon emissions by 8% compared to traditional fuel but also contributes to the accumulation of experience in SAF management, technical certification, and supplier collaboration. Through tangible fuel-saving and carbon reduction actions, CAL is committed to achieving its 2050 net-zero emissions target. Additionally, in 2018, 2019, and 2022, CAL held Sustainable Alternative Fuel seminars and expert consultation meetings, inviting government, industry, academia, and research institutions to discuss domestic and international experiences and trends in Sustainable Aviation Fuels and explore practical and feasible strategies, including lobbying efforts and SAF investments. CAL continues to lobby the government and stakeholders through various channels, such as the Taiwan Civil Aeronautics Administration and associations like the Taipei Airlines Association, to promote the development of SAF and foster investment and development strategies for SAF in Taiwan.

CAL, as a sustainable leader in Taiwan transportation industry, set its short, medium, and long-term Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) addition goals in 2022: 2% by 2025, 5% by 2030, 40% by 2040, and 65% by 2050. Actively responding to the international trend of carbon reduction, it is steadily moving towards the net-zero carbon goal by 2050. In 2023, CAL lobbied the stakeholders to become the first Taiwanese company to join the SAF program established by international oil companies and blockchain platforms, introducing a corporate procurement model for SAF for the first time, and providing traceable and verifiable carbon reduction certificates. CAL, together with its supply chain manufacturers and corporate customers, joined the SAF cooperation program, using SAF that can reduce carbon emissions by more than 90% compared to traditional aviation fuel, to jointly reduce carbon footprint.

Noise and Air Pollution Control

Since the noise-free engine is still in the development stage, CAL has initially adopted the following measures to reduce negative impact of noise generated during take-off and landing on local communities and frontline personnel without affecting safety:

  1. All aircrafts in the fleet (A350-900, A330-300, A321neo, 777-300ER, 737-800, 777F, and 747- 400F) have conformed to international noise standards (noise level for Chapters 3 and 4 of ICAO Annex 16); in particular, noise of A350-900 is 16 dB lower than the current standards and 20% less than that of the same model of competitors.
  2. Implement flight takeoff and landing operations in accordance with the Noise Abatement Procedures announced by each airport.
  3. Encourage the flight crew to employ the continuous descent approach (CDA) to continue low-noise operations, lower noise level, and reduce fuel consumption.
  4. Pay noise charges according to regulations of each country's airports on noise prevention.
  5. Collect international information through international exchange platforms, such as IATA to continue to carry out noise reduction.

Among the gases emitted by aircraft engines, nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur oxides (SOx) have a significant impact on the local air quality. CAL reduces the impact on ground air quality during aircraft takeoff / landing mainly through introducing low-pollution new aircraft, performing single-engine taxi operations (engine out taxi), and improving the efficiency of ground power units.In terms of fleet renewal, CAL has fully received 15 A350-900 aircraft, and all A340-300 and 747 passenger aircraft have been retired. As of February 2024, 7 777F cargo aircraft have been delivered. We will subsequently introduce 5 A321neo passenger aircraft and 3 777F cargo aircraft. In 2025, we will welcome the brand new 787 fleet. We are committed to providing high-quality passenger and cargo transportation services with a new and youthful fleet. Also, through a robust corporate environmental and energy management mechanism, we continuously achieve zero penalty operation targets and enhance operational ecological benefits.


Corporate NOx and SOx emissions

Passenger aircraft   2020 2021 2022 2023
SOx Emissions (ton)
 30.41 27.43 29.59 38.36
Emission efficiency (g/RTK) 0.0133 0.0150 0.0130 0.0094
NOx Emissions (ton)
 317.03 34.18 120.64 400.60
Emission efficiency (g/RPK) 0.0400 0.0538 0.0183 0.0119
Cargo aircraft   2020 2021 2022 2023
SOx Emissions (ton)
 14.58 16.06 13.03 11.37
Emission efficiency (g/RTK) 0.0030 0.0028 0.0028 0.0027
NOx Emissions (ton)
 152.04 167.43 135.84 118.79
Emission efficiency (g/RTK) 0.0317 0.0290 0.0291 0.0278

Note 1: The emissions of SOx and NOx are calculated using the formula "Total annual emissions = Number of flights x SOx/NOx Emission Factor (Tons / LTO)," where the emission factors are based on the latest numerical values announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States for that year.

Note 2: LTO: refers to the landing take-off.

Note 3: Mandarin Airlines and Tigerair Taiwan have no cargo aircraft.

Note 4: Amendment of calculation method and coverage on CAL's NOx emissions from 2021 to 2022, excluding the pandemic's effect on flight dispatch.

Passenger aircraft   2021 2022 2023
SOx Emissions (ton)
 16.85 24.99 26.58
Emission efficiency (g/RTK) 0.6549 0.6070 0.4004
NOx Emissions (ton)
 175.61 260.49 277.54
Emission efficiency (g/RPK) 0.6802 0.5908 0.3863

Note 1: The emissions of SOx and NOx are calculated using the formula "Total annual emissions = Number of flights x SOx/NOx Emission Factor (Tons / LTO)," where the emission factors are based on the latest numerical values announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States for that year.

Note 2: LTO: refers to the landing take-off.

Note 3: Mandarin Airlines and Tigerair Taiwan have no cargo aircraft.

Note 4: Amendment of calculation method and coverage on CAL's NOx emissions from 2021 to 2022, excluding the pandemic's effect on flight dispatch.

Passenger aircraft   2021 2022 2023
SOx Emissions (ton)
 0.04 1.24 11.56
Emission efficiency (g/RTK) 0.0838 0.0458 0.0304
NOx Emissions (ton)
 0.46 12.95 120.77
Emission efficiency (g/RPK) 0.0784 0.0434 0.0279

Note 1: The emissions of SOx and NOx are calculated using the formula "Total annual emissions = Number of flights x SOx/NOx Emission Factor (Tons / LTO)," where the emission factors are based on the latest numerical values announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the United States for that year.

Note 2: LTO: refers to the landing take-off.

Note 3: Mandarin Airlines and Tigerair Taiwan have no cargo aircraft

Note 4: Amendment of calculation method and coverage on CAL's NOx emissions from 2021 to 2022, excluding the pandemic's effect on flight dispatch.

Waste Management

CAL manages waste according to five main principles: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and repair. CAL's objective is to recycle 100% of waste and increase the waste recycling rate year by year. For more information, please refer to Commitment and Long-Term Goals. Considering that air transportation services are the core operations of the aviation industry, CAL actively participates in the IATA Cabin Waste Task Force discussions and has established a Waste Working Group. Since 2017, it has been collecting the total weight of cabin waste and recycled items.


Waste Management Performance

(Unit: Tons)

Item Waste produced Disposal Method
2021 2022 2023
General domestic waste 94 113 122 Incineration - with energy recovery
410 629 986 Incineration - without energy recovery (Delivered to the airport incineration plant in accordance with regulations and recommended the installation of electricity generation facilities)
Resource recycling 507 622 973 Recycling and reuse - resource recycling
Kitchen waste / waste materials 68 142 529 Recycling and reuse - Compost / hog raising
177 632 1,610 Incineration - with energy recovery (in accordance with quarantine requirements)
Hazardous industrial waste 12 12 11 Other treatment - heat treatment (e.g., sludge from electroplating)
1 2 1 Other treatment - offshore treatment (e.g., batteries that contain cadmium)
Non-hazardous industrial waste 100 147 194 Recycling and reuse - resource recycling (e.g., waste lubricants)
64 47 127 Other treatment - heat treatment (e.g., waste paint)
Total 1,433 2,346 4,553 -

Note 1: Third-party contractors were appointed for removing and offsite processing of waste for disposal. CAL implements inspections in accordance with the contract to ensure compliance with regulations.

Note 2: Scope of statisticst: EMO, CAL Park, Kaohsiung Branch, VIP lounges of four stations (Taoyuan, Songshan, Kaohsiung and Tainan), and Taoyuan Airport in-bound flight services.

Water Resource Management

The domestic sewage of CAL is collected and sent to the airport sewage treatment plant for treatment, and wastewater is bound to be produced in the aircraft maintenance process, which causes heavy damage to our environment and needs to be properly treated before discharge. Based on the concept of full recycling and treatment, CAL has established two wastewater treatment plants in the maintenance park to handle electroplating wastewater (containing heavy metals such as chromium and cadmium) and organic wastewater produced in the engine and aircraft maintenance processes through tertiary treatment prior to reuse and discharge into the Nankan river basin (level C water body defined by TW EPA). In the first line of control, well-qualified employees are trained to carry out the management and regularly monitor the quality of the discharged water in accordance with the strict regulations. A second and third-level supervision and inspection mechanism of the corporate environmental systems has also covering the issues for close monitoring.


  2021 2022 2023
Tap water consumption Volume (1000 tons)
 112.77 99.21 118.16
Recycled Water Volume (1000 tons)
 14.23 20.79 20.84
Saving from Advanced Fuselage cleaning procedure/Eco-friendly water-saving technology (tons)
1,344 1,414 1,699
Heavy metal wastewater Volume (ton)
 7,715 7,619 7,801
Organic wastewater Volume (ton)
 9,224 9,721 9,335
Wastewater discharge Volume (ton)
16,939 17,340 17,136

Note 1: Scope covered by tap water meters: CAL Park, maintenance plants, Songshan Park, and Taipei Branch. EMO and CAL Park are included in the calculation of the amount of recycled water.
Note 2: Everyday sewage is monitored according to the government's environmental protection regulations, collected and sent through the sewage systems to the sewage treatment plants at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei City, and Kaohsiung City to be processed.
Note 3: The source of tap water is from Taiwan Water Corporation.
Note 4: In 2023, due to business recovery (a 20.3% increase in RTK and a 22.62% year-on-year increase in consolidated revenue), CAL's Tap water withdrawal amounted to 118,158 cubic meters, representing a 19% increase compared to 2022. However, CAL still successfully achieved its SDG target of reducing water consumption by 5% compared to 2018 levels.

2023 Test result The first wastewater plant (Jan to Jun) The second wastewater plant (Jan to Jun) The first wastewater plant (July to Dec) The second wastewater plant (July to Dec) Taiwan National Effluent Standards
PH 7.5 7.5 7.6 7.5 6~9
Water temperature (℃) 24.1 25.4 23.7 25.4
  • From October to April: Below 35℃
  • From May to September: Below 38℃
Suspended solid(mg / L) <2.5 <1.0 2 <1.0 30
Chemical Oxygen Demand, COD(mg / L) 23.5 15.7 29.7 15.7 100

Announcement and Communication — Build an Image of Environmental Protection

As a member of the transportation services industry, CAL recognizes the need to integrate environmental processes with the nature of the operations and include these processes in the company's services. Therefore, environment management committees are individually established for cargo and passenger services to coordinate and carry out relevant environmental measures. To implement external communication, CAL communicates the corporate concept and performance of environmental protection with stakeholders through social media and in-flight magazines in hopes of creating and spreading the awareness of green consumption.

The key measures carried out in 2023 include:


Green Services
Phase of Journey Outcomes
Ground Operations
  • Promoted digital boarding procedures digital corporate memberships. All paper boarding passes are printed on paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
  • Adopted digital operations for the menu services in the VIP lounge in Taoyuan Airport and implemented contactless services.
  • Provided and promoted the voluntaryECO TravelCarbon Offsetting Program to passengers / shippers / Mandarin Airlines / Tigerair Taiwan.
  • Added the warning of the embargo on transport of endangered species on the company website / airport check-in counter and invite passengers to join the global fight against illegal wildlife trade.
  • Mandarin Airlines received the carbon label and carbon reduction label from Taiwan EPA and joined the ECO Points (Green Points)campaign for fare discounts.
Takeoff / Landing Process
  • Continued the practice of closing windows during summer to lower the temperature of the cabin and thus reduce the cost of the use of the auxiliary power unit (APU) and airport energy use.
  • Implementing green flight operations, such as conducting continuous descent operations (CDO) when conditions permit, to achieve fuel efficiency targets.
During flights
  • Inflight catering servicesconsistently prioritizes the use of locally sourced seasonal ingredients, aiming to achieve a zero carbon footprint targets, and prohibits the use of endangered species as food.
  • Promoted electronic services and Online Pre-selection meal services for the main dishes of in-flight meals. The pre-selection ratio has increased to 22.86% in 2023.
  • To support sustainable development and digitalization trends, we launched theDynasty Sky Reading to reduce the weight of aircrafts and reduce fuel consumption
  • Adopt paperless and digital operating procedures for in-flight services, use eco-friendly catering supplies, and promote e-commerce (eMall) and green consumption.
  • Implement and expand the participation in the Pacific Greenhouse Gases Measurement Program (PGGM) initiative
  • Gradually expand the service items in “The Aviation Challenge” (refer to the Aviation Challenge page).