Climate & Environment Hero

Climate & Environment

2024 Boeing Sustainability & Social Impact Report

The Boeing 2024 Sustainability & Social Impact Report outlines progress we’ve made on employee well-being, diversity and inclusion, our environmental efforts and positively impacting our global communities, with safety and quality core to all we do. In driving sustainability progress, we consider how every product we build, deliver and service affects our world, while striving to operate work sites sustainably and efficiently.

View the Full Report

See how Boeing is working across the industry to achieve an even safer and more sustainable aerospace future.

Latest News

Boeing ecoDemonstrator lands its first 10 tests

The program proves the environmental benefits of landing procedures among the 10 technologies it validated in latest testing.

Boeing Invests in Australian Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production

Company invests in Wagner Sustainable Fuels to support the development of SAF production facility in Brisbane.

Boeing and Clear Sky Launch Partnership to Help Decarbonize Aviation

The partnership’s first project with Firefly will accelerate technology that transforms waste into sustainable aviation fuel.

CTOs Call for Research on Non-CO2 Emissions

Chief technology officers of major OEMs call for government research programs that enhance scientific understanding of aviation non-CO2 effects. (Airbus photo)

Sustainable Aerospace

We take a multi-faceted approach to reduce the impact on our planet while growing the societal benefits of aerospace. To bring these strategies to life and show how each can cut emissions, we created the Boeing Cascade Climate Impact Model.

Fleet Renewal

Boeing's newest airplanes are 20-30% more efficient than the in-service airplanes they replace.

Operational Efficiency

Boeing is collaborating across industry on how to operate and fly more efficiently, which can reduce emissions by about 10%. This includes improving airplane retrofit and maintenance, fleet and airport operations, and flight and traffic management.

Renewable Energy

Boeing is shaping the future of sustainable aviation through research and technology development focused on unlocking the potential of sustainable fuels and renewable energy applications.

Advanced Technologies

Boeing is investing in innovation and clean technologies for improved aerodynamic performance, increased propulsion and systems efficiency, reduced life cycle energy use and emissions, and the latest digital design, test and production capability.

Market-Based Measures

We’re taking advantage of opportunities to reduce carbon emissions from getting into the atmosphere in the first place, investing in permanent carbon removals, and continuing to offset business travel emissions, increasing over time the proportion of permanent removals to traditional offsets in our portfolio.

Bring the strategies to life: Cascade

To show how each of the above strategies can cut emissions and help inform the most impactful and effective ways to reach net zero by 2050, Boeing created the Boeing Cascade Climate Impact Model.

Meet Cascade

Discover key topics in Sustainable Aerospace

Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)

SAF is produced from renewable sources – like agricultural waste, animal fats, vegetable oils and municipal solid waste – and significantly reduces carbon emissions over the fuel’s lifecycle, making it a more sustainable alternative for powering aircraft.

Today, Boeing is focused on helping catalyze SAF scaling through (1) our testing, technology investments, and product compatibility work, (2) our own fuel use, and (3) industry partnerships and policy advocacy.

NOTICE CONCERNING A.B. 1305: This video contains historic statements that may not entirely align with the company’s current outlook. These statements are retained for their historical value and to reflect Boeing’s culture of transparency and continuous improvement.

Demonstrators

Throughout our history, Boeing has deployed a suite of demonstrators to test and validate new technologies, designs and renewable energy sources. By converging the knowledge of our stakeholders and accelerating innovation, we aim to reduce our carbon and non-CO2 emissions, noise, and impact on local communities while strengthening the safety of our products.

One of our most visible examples is our Boeing ecoDemonstrator program. For over a decade, Boeing's ecoDemonstrator program has accelerated innovation by taking promising technologies out of the lab and testing them in an operational environment to solve real-world challenges for airlines, passengers and the environment.

Meet the Boeing ecoDemonstrator

Contrails

Boeing is focused on fully understanding and mitigating negative impacts of climate change from non-CO2 aircraft engine combustion emissions and effects, including contrails and aviation induced cloudiness, which are produced by aircraft and can contribute to both warming and cooling effects.

Sustainability Firsts

Boeing is a pioneer in creating new technologies and solutions to ensure aerospace is sustainable for future generations.

2008 | A Boeing-converted Diamond DA20 conducts the world’s first crewed flight using fuel cells powered by hydrogen.

2008 | A Virgin Atlantic 747 makes the world’s first sustainable aviation fuel test flight using a commercial aircraft.

2009 | The Boeing 787 Dreamliner becomes the first commercial airplane made largely from lightweight carbon composites, informing efficient design.

2009: Boeing breaks ground on the LEED Gold-certified 787 Final Assembly facility in North Charleston, South Carolina, creating an environmentally responsible approach to construction.

Assembly facility in in North Charleston

2010 | Boeing supports the supersonic flight of a U.S. Navy F/A-18 on a 50/50 SAF blend - U.S. Navy photo

2010: Boeing partners with the U.S. Air Force on an in-depth fuel study as part of their efforts to certify the C-17 Globemaster to use SAF.

2011 | Boeing is a founding member of the International Aerospace Environmental Group, developing a standard approach to supply chain environmental issues and innovative solutions for the aerospace industry.

2012 | The uncrewed Phantom Eye makes several flights powered by liquid hydrogen.

2012 | The ecoDemonstrator 737-800 tests regenerative hydrogen fuel cell technology for onboard auxiliary power applications.

2015 | Boeing supports research to help small-scale farmers in South Africa bring their feedstock crops to the aviation biofuel market.

farmers in South Africa carry their feedstock crops

2015 | A Boeing uncrewed demonstrator flies over 100 flights in Spain using fuel cells powered by green hydrogen.

2016 | Boeing matures its Transonic Truss-Braced Wing concept after its first wind tunnel test.

2018 | The ecoDemonstrator 777 Freighter becomes the first commercial airliner in the world to fly on 100% SAF.

2018 | Boeing and ELG Carbon Fibre Ltd. create a first-of-its-kind partnership to recycle excess carbon composite fiber generated from making 777X wings.

2019 | Boeing and Kitty Hawk Corp. joint venture Wisk begins flight-testing the Cora electric air taxi for urban mobility markets.

2021 | Boeing commits to making an entire family of commercial airplanes 100% SAF capable by 2030.

2021 | A new type of composite cryogenic fuel tank, designed and manufactured by Boeing, signifying this lightweight storage technology is mature, ready and safe for use in aerospace vehicles.

2021 | Boeing begins first-of-its-kind partnership with NASA Langley Research Center to test the emissions of sustainable aviation fuels on the ecoDemonstrator.

2022 | Bought 2 million gallons of SAF to power Commercial Airplanes operations in Washington state and South Carolina through 2022.

2023 | Developed jet reference fluids to test for 100% SAF compatibility.

2023 | NASA selects Boeing to develop and flight-test a full-scale Transonic Truss-Braced Wing (TTBW) Sustainable Flight Demonstrator (SFD).

2023 | Bought 5.6 million gallons of SAF for 2023 commercial operations.

2023 | The first ecoDemonstrator Explorer begins short-term operational efficiency testing.

Sustainable Operations

Sustainable aerospace starts within our four walls. Below, we outline our four key strategies to advance sustainable operations:

Learn more in our report

Innovation and Engagement

We foster sustainable behaviors, innovation, and efficiency among our workforce, integrating sustainability into our Boeing Production System and providing training and recognition programs for developing sustainable habits.

Efficiency and Conservation

We prioritize responsible resource use, implementing measures to reduce consumption and waste generation, and optimizing building and equipment performance to achieve our sustainable operations targets.

Site Infrastructure Investment

We are focused on improving efficiency, extending equipment longevity, reducing resource use, LEED certification, and achieving operational GHG emissions reduction targets primarily through renewable electricity.

Resilience and Risk Management

We are preparing for the future by assessing and mitigating environmental risks as well as remediating our legacy environmental impacts.

Each year, thousands of people visit Santa Susana in Simi Valley, Calif., to learn more about the site’s important place in history and experience firsthand its beauty and biodiversity.

Remediation

Boeing’s remediation program is focused on using innovative approaches in cleanup efforts to ensure the protection of human health and the environment, coupled with the use of invaluable input from community members and environmental groups. This, combined with the guidance of leading environmental scientists and federal and state regulatory agencies, has led to great progress in cleaning up remediation sites. Boeing also often collaborates with wildlife and conservation organizations to restore habitat for the benefit of wildlife and the community.

Duwamish Waterway

Santa Susana

Efficiency and Conservation Targets

We’ve set ambitious efficiency and conservation targets across five key categories specific to our operations:

*Sustainable operations targets shown are absolute targets, established against a 2017 baseline, and not indexed to production levels or growth. All 2025 reduction targets were set with an operational boundary of the Core Metric Sites, which represent the majority (>70%) of Boeing’s operations, and includes emissions from electricity use and natural gas
Performance Area	2025 Targets^*	2023 Progress (over 2017)
Greenhouse gas emissions	Reduce emissions by 25%	37% reduction
Energy	Reduce energy consumption (natural gas, other fuels and electricity) by 10%	12% reduction
Water	Reduce water withdrawal by 20%	19.5% reduction
Solid waste	Reduce solid waste to landfill by 20%	28.6% reduction
Hazardous waste	Reduce hazardous waste by 5%	24.9% reduction

Environmental policy: Boeing is committed to

Conduct operations in compliance with applicable environmental laws, regulations, and Boeing policies and procedures.
Prevent pollution by conserving energy and resources, recycling, reducing waste, and pursuing other source reduction strategies.
Continually improve our environmental management system.
Work together with our stakeholders on activities that promote environmental protection and stewardship.

Fact sheets

Below are resources to help enhance understanding on important sustainability topics.

Resources

Disclosures Concerning GHG-Related Claims	ISO 14001 Certificates
Boeing and the Environment Page	S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment Supplement
Boeing Airplane Family Environmental-Improvement Chart	Report on Net Zero Indicator
Boeing CDP Climate and Water Security Response
Boeing ecoDemonstrator Program
Assurance Statements for GHG Emissions and Water Withdrawal
GHG Emissions Supplement

Safety & Quality	Weapons
Life at Boeing	Political Activities
Global Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Military & Veterans
Boeing Around the Globe
Community Engagement
Education
Human Rights
Suppliers

Boeing in Brief
Boeing Code of Conduct
Board of Directors Code of Conduct
Corporate Governance
Ethics and Compliance
Investor Information
Tax Governance & Compliance

Reports

Recent related reports

2024 Sustainability Report

2023 Annual Report

2024 Proxy Statement

2023 Sustainability Report

2023 GEDI Report

Boeing 2023 Community Impact Portfolio

Previous Sustainability and Environment Reports

Boeing’s current perspective on sustainability matters is reflected in the most recent Sustainability Report. Previous Sustainability Reports are included here for their historic value, consistent with Boeing’s culture of transparency and continuous improvement. Readers should refer to Boeing’s latest Sustainability Report for the Company’s current perspective.