What does carbon neutrality mean for air freight? JAL’s efforts to build a sustainable society

With countries and regions around the world having set targets for achieving carbon neutrality, the air freight industry is likewise pursuing diverse initiatives aimed at reducing CO₂ emissions. This page provides a basic introduction to carbon neutrality and backgrounds of the work being done by the aviation industry on “carbon-neutral skies”. It also describes the practical actions that JAL is taking in pursuit of net-zero emissions of CO₂ by 2050.

The greenhouse gases recognized as the major cause of global warming are released into the atmosphere by actions such as the burning of fossil fuels. However, carbon dioxide (CO₂), the predominant greenhouse gas, is absorbed by natural processes like plant photosynthesis. 

“If we are to remain in business as an airline, we have a duty to reduce the emission of CO₂ by aircraft as much as possible. As an island nation, however, maintaining Japan’s networks for the domestic and international movement of people and goods is an important mission that benefits the nation. 

As we work toward both of these objectives, JAL Group has set an interim target for FY2030 of reducing CO₂ emissions by 10% relative to FY2019. Beyond that is our goal of achieving net-zero CO₂ emissions by 2050.

To achieve this, we have adopted a multi-targeted approach with five key pillars. These are aircraft upgrades, improved operating practices, use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), use of carbon credits, and new removal technologies.”

One example is using only one engine to taxi the aircraft to its berth at the terminal after landing, thereby keeping unnecessary fuel consumption to a minimum. Think of it as like driving a car in eco-mode. Fuel consumption can also be improved by limiting as much as possible the use of reverse thrust when landing. 

Another initiative is the optimization of routes to shorten flight times by avoiding detours. Working with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is vital for these initiatives and they are being undertaken through industry-wide collaboration. 

JAL is also the first Japanese airline to introduce foam washing for aircraft engines. In contrast to the water washing used previously, the technique uses heated foam cleaning agents to chemically remove dirt from inside engines. This improves engine fuel efficiency, a spin-off of which is lower CO₂ emissions. 

Action by the cabin crew is also vital. One example is that pulling down the window shades after passengers disembark prevents the cabin from heating up, thereby reducing air conditioning use and cutting CO₂ emissions.”

Meanwhile, 2024 saw the commencement of the Let's Fly with Used Cooking Oi®︎ Project Boxes where people could recycle used cooking oil were installed in supermarkets around Japan. The oil was recycled at the SAF production plant and then used as aircraft fuel.”

Since January 2025, major airports in the EU have been obliged to supply fuel that is blended with 2% SAF. Similar moves are expected to pick up pace in Asia from next year, including in Singapore and South Korea. Dealing with the increasingly global spread of these obligations poses an urgent challenge. 

Aware of these issues, JAL next turned its attention to wood. Approximately 70% of Japan’s land area is covered in forest and there is a considerable supply of waste material that includes tree prunings that are left uncollected in woodlands. Meanwhile, technology for the production of bioethanol from wood has already reached the stage of practicality. This indicates to us that locally produced wood has considerable potential to become a reliable and sustainable feedstock for SAF production. 

In February 2025, JAL signed an agreement with four partners (Airbus, Nippon Paper Industries, Sumitomo Corporation, and the Green Earth Institute) to work toward the commercialization of SAF made from bioethanol derived from locally grown wood. This initiative is now underway in earnest as the Morisora Project. 

As a consumer of SAF, our involvement should boost the viability of the project. In the future, we intend to continue efforts to establish a supply chain for the reliable supply of SAF, bringing together the stakeholders involved in every step, from feedstock supply through to production and transportation.”

This led JAL in 2024 to establish our JAL Corporate SAF Program that treats the emission reductions resulting from SAF as environmental value that it sells to other companies. That is, the project certifies the “environmental value” represented by the CO₂ emission reductions that result from JAL’s purchase of SAF and makes this value available to participating companies. In return for a company bearing some of the cost of the SAF allocated to JAL flights, the certification provides proof of that company having contributed to CO₂ emission reduction. The certificates can be used in public reporting of the company’s actual CO₂ emission reductions.

In the case of the cargo business in particular, while the more freight that can be carried, the better it is for the business, there is also the trade-off that additional weight leads directly to higher CO₂ emissions. 

By doing so, in addition to the program’s customers being able to reduce CO₂ emissions from within their own value chains (by what can be called “carbon insetting” in contrast to carbon offsetting), participation in this project means they can also contribute to the decarbonization of the aviation industry by encouraging greater use of SAF. If SAF is to be adopted more widely, it will be vital that we overcome the cost obstacles and establish practices that involve working in partnership with many other companies. Our hope is that this program will serve as an effective mechanism underpinning the practical deployment of SAF.”

One material used in large quantities is the polyethylene sheet used to prevent water damage to cargo. In this category alone, we have already switched more than 90% of our use to products that make less use of non-recycled plastic. 

One issue that remains, however, is the stretch film in which cargo is wrapped to prevent items coming loose during transportation. Unlike polyethylene sheet, this material has particular functional requirements for things like strength and stickiness. The concern if existing products are replaced with something inferior is not just that it will diminish workplace productivity but also that it will have a negative effect on transportation quality. When promoting the reduced use of plastic, it is important to strike a balance between environmental considerations and transportation service quality. We collect feedback from the workplace and look carefully at just how far we can go with material replacement.”

Maejima-san’s response was, “As reducing CO₂ can be costly, how best to balance the costs and benefits is a challenge. What matters is to be able to grow sustainably as an airline with a goal of combining decarbonization with economic growth. With everyone’s help, one of our major jobs for the future is to establish the means to do just this.”

Kita-san, in turn, replied that, “Our first objective is to achieve a 10% reduction relative to FY2019 CO₂ emissions by FY 2030. Given that there is no ambiguity in the time available for action, the way we go about our daily activities should be informed by a clear understanding of what we need to do to achieve this. One aspect of this that I especially emphasize is the establishment in each region of a deep-rooted model of local sourcing, one that involves procuring materials locally and recycling forestry resources. I hope that the wider adoption of SAF will be about more than just production of the fuel and will also help with the resolution of societal challenges.”

Yakumaru-san added that, “Sustainability initiatives are not something that JAL can do on its own. This makes it vital that we maintain regular dialogue with other stakeholders. As an intermediary, passing on the information we obtain from this dialogue to others working in the company, I hope that we can make solid progress on our efforts to achieve net-zero CO₂ emissions.”