We have expanded the list of climate policies we assess company engagement with to incorporate land-use related policy, referring to legislative or regulatory measures to enhance and protect ecosystems and land where carbon is being stored. Assessments under this category are currently underweighted in terms of their contribution to the overall company metrics. This weighting will be progressively increased over the next 6 months.
We adjusted the terminology used to describe the queries running down the left-hand side of our scoring matrix and added additional explanatory text to the info-boxes. This has no impact on the scores and methodology. It has been done following user feedback to improve clarity.
Climate Lobbying Overview: AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) appears to have a limited mixed to positive engagement with EU climate change policy in 2021-23. The organization appears to advocate for EU regulations mandating sustainable aviation fuels, while opposing a kerosene tax and the expansion of emissions trading to aviation.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: ASD’s top-line messaging on climate change policy appears to be positive. ASD has also consistently voiced its support for net-zero emissions in aviation by 2050, including in an EU consultation submitted in November 2021. The association supported the EU’s climate neutrality goals and Green Deal on its website in March 2021, while in August 2021 it urged the EU to support the CORSIA global offsetting scheme, also on its website.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: ASD appears to support renewable and emissions targets regulations but opposes emissions trading in 2021-23. The association opposed the inclusion of international flights into the EU emissions trading system, only supporting a hybrid CORSIA and EU ETS system, in a November 2021 public consultation and a June 2022 press release. However, in another November 2021 consultation, it supported increasing the ambition of the proposed EU sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) mandate, and also in the same month supported the increase of the renewable energy target for 2030 in the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive, in a public consultation. ASD supported the increase of the EU GHG emissions reductions target from 40% to 55%, in a June 2021 press release.
Positioning on Energy Transition: ASD has opposed an aviation fuel tax, but engaged positively with the energy transition in the EU. It opposed the introduction of an EU kerosene tax for flights in multiple EU consultations in 2021, including in its November 2021 consultation response to the Energy Taxation Directive. More generally, ASD has stated support for the electrification and increased use of green hydrogen for aviation in a November 2021 consultation response.