You can reduce your flight's carbon footprint by offsetting emissions

Finnair's offset service lets you calculate and compensate for your flight's CO2 emissions. The service gives you options to on how much you would like to compensate by purchasing Sustainable Aviation Fuel and how much by supporting climate projects, that reduce, remove, or help avoid the production of greenhouse gas emissions.

The price of compensating depends on the ratio of sustainable fuel and climate projects you choose. Fuel is a more expensive option, but also the more impactful for aviation. Finnair's Senior Sustainability Manager Tuomo Karppinen encourages customers to choose fuel purchases where possible. 

- The reason for this is simple, each litre of sustainable fuel reduces the need for fossil fuel by that exact amount. The large-scale use of sustainable fuel is still restricted by its high price and poor availability. With our service we can demonstrate that the demand is there. In the long run this will increase the number of fuel suppliers and bring the prices down.

The other offsetting option is to support Finnair's chosen climate projects that are certified with internationally acknowledged certifying standards. At the moment there are two projects to support. The first one supplies biogas plants to families in the Chickballapur area in India to ensure clean and safe cooking 

The second project, Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve, aims to reduce Indonesia’s emissions by preserving over 90 thousand hectares of tropical peat swamp forest. 

- We chose these projects because in addition to reducing carbon emissions they create positive impact in biodiversity and social wellbeing. Along environmental issues these are important areas of sustainable development for us, Karppinen mentions. 

Using the service is simple

You can offset your emissions easily when booking your flight. By entering your flight information, you can see your carbon footprint immediately. After that you can see how much different combinations of sustainable fuel and climate projects would cost and choose one that suits you best. 

- We believe that the best moment to create interest and inspire participation in our climate work is during the booking process, Karppinen states.

To create the service Finnair has partnered with the experienced, international climate technology company CHOOOSE™. The service is designed to be very easy to use. 

If you come to think of compensating only after your flight, you can even compensate afterwards. The compensation is not connected to the flight reservation.  

Compensations are needed alongside technological development

Finnair's climate goals are to cut net emissions in half by 2025 and going carbon neutral in 2045. In the pursuit for carbon neutrality Finnair, and the entire aviation industry, are working for vast improvements in energy efficiency and reduced fuel consumption. 

According to Karppinen fully emission-free flying is however something we cannot rely on yet and compensations are still needed. 

- There is a lot of discussion around hydrogen and electricity powered aviation, but these types of new planes might not enter the market until the 2030s to 2050s. That is why we must rely on sustainable fuel and offsetting projects outside the industry for now.  
 
He also wants to point out that even though all industries are going through huge efforts to stop climate change, even the role of a single customer can be great.

- In this moment we need all possible measures. The decisions made by individuals control the market and are a fast way forward. When it comes to flying, customers have some good ways to make an impact, such as compensating, reducing the amount of luggage, and choosing the shortest routes possible. 

- Every one of us can do more for sustainability and take an active role in reaching common goals. We believe our customers appreciate the possibility to make sustainable decisions easily. In the future we want to keep working together with our customers, Karppinen sums up.