Month: July 2023

FORT WORTH, Texas, July 14, 2023 /3BL/ – American Airlines issued its 2022 Sustainability Report, providing updates on the company’s strategy and progress on key issues over the year. The report affirms American’s focus on the sustainability issues most important to its business and stakeholders, including climate change, customer and team member safety, human capital and customer service.

“Over the past year, American has worked tirelessly to fly more and bring people together again,” American’s CEO Robert Isom said. “I’m deeply proud of our team for building back our airline, developing a pipeline of new and diverse talent and advancing our climate goals — all while remaining steadfastly committed to our why: caring for people on life’s journey.”

American’s strategy for reaching net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 is focused on running a more fuel-efficient operation, with more fuel-efficient aircraft increasingly powered by low-carbon fuel. Over the past several years, American has undertaken the most extensive fleet renewal effort in the history of its industry — giving the airline the youngest mainline fleet among U.S. network carriers. In 2022, American took meaningful steps forward across its strategy — from adding new-generation aircraft to its fleet and finalizing its most significant sustainable aviation fuel offtake agreement to date to announcing investments in two companies focused on the development of low-carbon, hydrogen-powered aviation.

In 2022, American became the first airline globally to receive validation from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) that its intermediate 2035 GHG reduction targets comply with the criteria in the SBTi’s first aviation pathway. The company’s Sustainability Report also includes a detailed discussion of American’s risks and opportunities related to climate change, as recommended by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.

Embedding diversity, equity and inclusion across American gives its culture a competitive advantage and underpins American’s quest to be the best airline for its customers. The report describes the company’s efforts to create opportunities for people from all backgrounds, including diverse groups historically underrepresented in the airline industry, and to increase awareness, access and opportunity for everyone interested in exploring a career in aviation.

The team at American is the engine behind the high level of service it provides to customers. Even as the company rapidly ramped up operations in 2022, it maintained its focus on offering the reliability, dependability and world-class experience its customers expect. Thanks to the hard work of the American team, the company recorded its best-ever customer satisfaction scores, as measured by Likelihood to Recommend, for the year. The company also continues to have an uncompromising commitment to customer and team member safety.

The airline’s progress toward its sustainability goals continues to receive accolades. American was named 2023 Air Transport World Eco-Airline of the Year, and in 2022 remained the only passenger airline to be included in the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index for a second consecutive year.

About American Airlines Group
To Care for People on Life’s Journey®. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL and the company’s stock is included in the S&P 500. Learn more about what’s happening at American by visiting news.aa.com and connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.

Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements and information
Certain of the statements contained in this release, including goals for and projections of future results, the expected execution and effect of our sustainability strategies and initiatives and the amounts and timing of their expected impact, should be considered forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on the company’s current objectives, beliefs and expectations, and they are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside the company’s control, that may cause actual results and financial position and timing of certain events to differ materially from the information in the forward-looking statements. Please see the company’s latest Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and the company’s other filings with the SEC for a discussion of risk factors as they may relate to forward-looking statements. The company does not assume any obligation to publicly update or supplement any forward-looking statement to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting these forward-looking statements other than as required by law. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof or as of the dates indicated in the statement.

July 14, 2023, /3BL/ – Ten leading food and beverage, apparel, and agriculture companies are urging Congress to use the 2023 Farm Bill to modernize and expand the tools for farmers to access federal conservation programs and resources.

In a letter sent Thursday to the House and Senate agriculture committees, the companies emphasize the need for improved technical assistance for farmers seeking to access voluntary U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs and funds, which yield cleaner water and air, healthier soil, and more biodiversity.

Signatories of the letter include Bonterra Organic Estates, Brown Family Farms, Eileen Fisher, IndigoAg, Mars Inc., New Belgium Brewing, PepsiCo, Sierra Nevada, Solectrac, and Stonyfield Organic. The diverse group of signatories reflects the strong support from the food and beverage, apparel, and agriculture industries to improve farmers’ access to regenerative agriculture resources. It was also signed by the Evangelical Environmental Network and Kiss the Ground, two nonprofit organizations that are engaging farmers directly to advance sustainable and regenerative agriculture practices, and was organized by Ceres, a nonprofit that works with companies and investors to advance sustainability practices and policies.

“Unfortunately, many potential applicants can’t access these programs because the application process is overly complex and current Technical Assistance (TA) resources are insufficient,” the signatories wrote. “TA should provide all of our nation’s farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners with the knowledge, tools, and resources they need to successfully participate in USDA-NRCS programs and access financial resources.”

The signatories outline opportunities to improve technical assistance, such as by forming new public-private partnerships and simplifying the application process. These improvements should aim to expand access to farmers of color, small farms, and beginner farmers that have historically struggled to access resources, and to benefit rural economies with a pipeline of well-paying jobs, the letter says.

“The 2023 Farm Bill is a critical opportunity to further invest in America and its farmers with smart and forward-looking agricultural practices to protect our food system and grow our economy,” said Zach Friedman, director of federal policy, Ceres. “Major companies recognize the huge potential of helping farmers adopt climate-smart practices that defend against climate and other sustainability threats, create good jobs and new economic opportunities in rural America, and help them meet their own climate goals throughout their supply chains. We urge Congress to take note of the expertise and insight of industry as they make it a priority to modernize and expand technical assistance for all farmers and ranchers during Farm Bill negotiations this year.”

In 2021, Ceres launched its Climate-Smart Agriculture and Healthy Soils Working Group, made up of leading food and clothing companies in support of agricultural policy that uplifts farmers as climate leaders. These companies have focused on making the economic case for a climate-smart Farm Bill, regularly meeting with members of Congress — most recently at LEAD on a Clean Economy 2023 in May — and organizing a letter to lawmakers outlining five key priorities for the bill, including modernized and expanded technical assistance.

Ceres has also worked with companies to support, uphold, and maximize the additional conservation resources provided by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. And it has endorsed bipartisan legislation, crafted by Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana, to expand technical assistance certification to private-sector and non-federal organizations, increasing the number of technical assistance providers so more farmers can access them.

Ceres

Ceres is a nonprofit organization working with the most influential capital market leaders to solve the world’s greatest sustainability challenges. Through our powerful networks and global collaborations of investors, companies and nonprofits, we drive action and inspire equitable market-based and policy solutions throughout the economy to build a just and sustainable future. For more information, visit ceres.org and follow @CeresNews.

Media Contact: Helen Booth-Tobin, booth-tobin@ceres.org, 617-247-0700 ext. 214