In its 2019 Global Environment report, the Boeing Company provides an update on the environmental strategy the company unveiled last year. The strategy identifies 2025 as a target year to collaborate with communities around the globe and create products focused on environmental performance, emissions and waste reduction, and lower levels of water and energy consumption at work sites.

Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and provides commercial and military aircraft to numerous global operators. As the top U.S. exporter, the company supports commercial and government customers in more than 150 countries. The company specifically states that it is currently building cleaner, more fuel-efficient airplanes and finding innovative ways to recycle and conserve resources.

"We are committed to cleaner water, air and land, and this report highlights the wide range of efforts surrounding Boeing's environmental stewardship around the globe," says Bryan Scott, vice president of Environment, Health & Safety.

(Image courtesy: The Boeing Company)

From a 2017 baseline, the company is ahead of schedule in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent, reducing solid landfill waste by 20 percent, and reducing energy consumption my 10 percent. However, it is slightly behind in reducing water consumption by 20 percent and reducing hazardous waste by five percent.

Boeing has made both the full report and summary version available online.

To meet these goals, Boeing has partnering with a UK-based recycler to keep up to 2 million pounds of excess carbon fiber out of landfills per year.

Boeing is working with Etihad Airways to fly a 787 Dreamliner powered partly by biofuel made from desert plants irrigated with seawater and is helping develop sustainable aviation fuel and offering its customers the option of using biofuel on delivery flights.

Learn more about sustainability in the aerospace industry

The company has also started using renewable energy to power its primary data center, saving enough electricity to power more than 4,000 homes annually and has designed new energy-efficient facilities around the world, including the 737 Completion and Delivery Center in Zhoushan, China, and the fabrication facility in Sheffield, UK.

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William Kucinski is content editor at SAE International, Aerospace Products Group in Warrendale, Pa. Previously, he worked as a writer at the NASA Safety Center in Cleveland, Ohio and was responsible for writing the agency’s System Failure Case Studies. His interests include literally anything that has to do with space, past and present military aircraft, and propulsion technology.

Contact him regarding any article or collaboration ideas by e-mail at william.kucinski@sae.org.