Norwegian offers customers CO2-offsetting and becomes first airline to sign UN climate action initiative

Norwegian has partnered with climate company CHOOOSE to make it easy for customers to offset their carbon footprint when buying a ticket with the airline. The initiative has been welcomed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

As of today, Norwegian is pleased to offer its customers climate compensation as a simple, integrated part of the booking process.

Geir Karlsen, Acting CEO of Norwegian said: “Norwegian has been named one of the world's most environmentally friendly airlines and we are continuously working to reduce our emissions through new initiatives. We’re now putting a price on actual carbon emissions from flying, making it easy for all our customers to take climate action,”

“Even if commercial aviation technology continues to develop and Norwegian keeps reducing its environmental impact, emission-free flying is not possible today. Carbon offsetting is an important tool in managing today's emissions, and we know that many of our customers would like to compensate for emissions associated with their journey,” he continued.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: “We welcome this initiative”
Norwegian is the first airline to sign the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) pledge, committing to become climate neutral by 2050:
"Putting a price on carbon in this way also helps driving more action and more ambition at all levels of society, including in business. We welcome this initiative by Norwegian to help their customers compensate their emissions when they travel. Bringing people together is fundamental for global understanding, for the economy, for wellbeing, and for the planet. We welcome Norwegian to our Climate Neutral Now initiative," says Niclas Svenningsen, Manager, Global Climate Action, UN Climate Change.

Climate offsetting clean energy projects

Norwegian developed the feature to be as informative, simple, and trustworthy as possible. When first selecting a flight, Norwegian informs customers how its flights’ emissions compares to industry average. The CO₂ emissions calculation is based on the official methodology of the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the International Council of Clean Transportation (ICCT) and Norwegian’s own flight emissions data. Next, customers are offered a simple option to offset their calculated carbon footprint directly in the checkout process. For customers that opt in, offsetting is then performed through carefully selected CO₂-reducing clean energy projects in regions Norwegian flies to. The projects are certified by the United Nations and the Gold Standard, which sets the standard for climate and development interventions to quantify, certify and maximise their impact. The Gold Standard also includes contributions to other UN Sustainable Development Goals.
"In addition to climate impact, all Gold Standard projects deliver verified benefits to the local communities where they operate – new jobs, clean energy, improved air, and more. If Norwegian Air passengers are passionate about climate justice, they can trust that their contribution goes far beyond offsetting emissions," said Sarah Leugers, Director of Communications at Gold Standard.

A seamless solution

As the partner for its new solution, Norwegian has chosen the climate-tech company CHOOOSE. Based in Oslo, Norway, CHOOOSE has developed a solution that seamlessly integrates into the customer check-out process, making it easy for customers to connect with the best CO₂-reducing projects around the world. In addition to Norwegian, CHOOOSE enables a wide range of partners to integrate climate action directly into their products and services, and now has customers in over 70 countries.

“CHOOOSE collaborates with those who challenge the status quo, demonstrate that they’re committed to reducing emissions, and take responsibility for the elephant in the room - some carbon footprints cannot be entirely avoided based on today's technology,” said Andreas Slettvoll, CEO of CHOOOSE.

“CHOOOSE has achieved a lot in a short time, and together we are offering a best-in-class solution for our customers. CHOOOSE operates in an area that is developing rapidly and absolutely necessary, and represents a new, refreshing approach to climate action,” said Karlsen.

Norwegian was voted the world’s most fuel-efficient airline on transatlantic routes in 2015 and 2018 by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) and since 2008, the airline has reduced its emissions by 30 percent per passenger kilometre thanks to new, fuel-efficient aircraft.

Read more about Norwegian’s partnership with CHOOOSE here: www.norwegian.com/uk/chooose