Business Ethics Research Project

Aviation’s Responsibilities to the Environment

Embry Riddle Aeronautical University

Abstract

When it comes to ethical and social responsibilities to the environment, aviation industries have a huge part when it comes to sustainability of the environment. Whether an airplane is merely flying through an area or landing for services, aircraft can have a huge impact on the environment. Not only are the aircraft major factors, any facilities that relate to aircraft have a large impact on our environment. This report discusses how aviation companies around the world have an ethical and social responsibility to our environment and how some companies are working hard at reducing their impacts on the environment. Cooperate social responsibility or CSR has encompassed many aspects of sustainability and protections of the environment and it is starting to become a growing passion of not only aviation, every industry around the world.

Aviation’s Responsibilities to the Environment

One of the biggest issues that aviation faces today is environmental sustainability. Operating aircraft for transporting people and goods requires enormous amounts of petroleum-based fuels and oils that deeply impact the environment. Ground facilities consume huge amounts of energy, inflight services produce tons of waste, and often, unsustainable materials of used. Companies all around the world of aviation need to be responsible for these actions and try they best to reduce their impacts on the environment. Sustainability has many strategic parts to it and airlines around the world are using many different approaches when it comes to contributing to these efforts. Some of the largest concepts used are related to petroleum-based products, waste management, energy efficiency, and noise pollution. Each airline brings their own perspective to these areas and provides great examples of how their CSR incorporates environmental sustainability.

Petroleum-Based Products

It is no secret that...