Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: In 2022-24, Virgin Australia has high engagement on climate policy with both positive and negative positioning. Virgin Australia has positive top-line messaging on climate policy, supports Australia’s Safeguard Mechanism with exceptions, and supports policies incentivizing sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs).
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: On its corporate website, accessed in November 2024 Virgin Australia supported net-zero CO2 emissions from global aviation by 2050, alongside emissions reductions aligned with a 1.5 degree target. Virgin Australia’s corporate website also supported the goals of the Paris Agreement. Virgin Australia’s November 2023 Aviation Green Paper consultation response supported Australia's 2050 net-zero emissions target alongside globally harmonized climate regulations taking into account competitiveness.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: In its 2023 Annual Report, accessed in October 2024, and in an August 2023 testimony, Virgin Australia supported Australia’s Safeguard Mechanism reform. In a September 2022 consultation response on Australia’s Safeguard Mechanism Reform, Virgin Australia supported declining baselines aligned with Australia’s emissions targets and the introduction of below-baseline crediting. However, more negatively, it appeared to support tailored treatment for emissions-intensive trade-exposed (EITE) facilities and an intensity baseline over a fixed baseline.
Virgin Australia advocated for policies incentivizing Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) in Australia alongside a book and claim system for SAFs in its MoU Activities Report published in September 2024. Virgin Australia further supported policies incentivizing SAFs, including the US Inflation Reduction Act, in an August 2023 testimony. Virgin Australia generally supported policies incentivizing the production and uptake of SAF, including under the Safeguard Mechanism Reform in its 2023 Sustainability Report published in 2024. However, in a November 2023 consultation response, Virgin Australia appeared unsupportive of an Australian SAF mandate, highlighting cost and competition concerns, supporting SAF incentives instead. Virgin Australia further supported policies incentivizing SAFs, including the US Inflation Reduction Act, in an August 2023 testimony. Virgin Australia generally supported policies incentivizing the production and uptake of SAF, including under the Safeguard Mechanism Reform in its 2023 Sustainability Report published in 2024.1353485 consultation response], Virgin Australia appeared unsupportive of an Australian SAF mandate, highlighting cost and competition concerns and supported SAF incentives instead.
Virgin Australia supported the Australian government’s 2030 target to reduce emissions to 43% below 2005 levels in a November 2023 consultation response and in its MoU Activities Report published in September 2024.
Positioning on Energy Transition: In 2022-24, Virgin Australia supported the increased use of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) in Australian aviation. For example, in its September 2024 MoU Activities Report, Virgin Australia supported the development of a domestic sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry in Australia and “heightened collaboration” between the US and Australia. On its corporate website, accessed in November 2024, Virgin Australia supported the increased use of bio-SAFs, while describing synthetic SAFs as “holding great promise” while needing more investment.
Industry Association Governance: Virgin Australia has disclosed a list of its industry associations in its 2023 Sustainability Report, accessed in October 2024. However, it does not appear to have published an audit of its alignment with its industry associations. Virgin Australia is a member of the International Air Transport Association and the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia (CME), which are both actively and negatively engaged on climate policy. Virgin Australia retains board level membership to Airlines for Australia and New Zealand (A4ANZ) which has low engagement on climate policy with both positive and negative positioning.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our https://lobbymap.org/page/Our-Methodologymethodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q4 2024.