Environmental Issues
Although there are many technological and political advancements, many of these have caused rampant environmental issues such as;
Sustainability as an Environmental Issue
Nowadays, sustainability is usually defined as “the processes and actions through which humankind avoids the depletion of natural resources, in order to keep an ecological balance that doesn’t allow the quality of life of modern societies to decrease” (YouMatter, 2021). In 2005, the World Summit on Social Development identified three core areas that contribute to the philosophy and social science of sustainable development, areas which we must consider the future in making our decisions about the present are 1) economic development 2) social development and 3) environmental protection (Environmental Science, n.d). The primary goals of sustainability are to end world poverty and hunger, better standards of healthcare and education, gender equality, sustainable economic growth and overcome climate change. Sustainable practises, especially practised by businesses and industry that drastically affect climate change and the environment, can drastically reduce energy usage, ensure a future for all, provide healthy habitat, and have a societal impact.
An analysis of data byWorld Bank from 136 countries shows poor countries are losing natural resources fast without gaining much human resource capital or gross wealth (Jitendra, 2014). The data shows that poorer countries are not producing quality human resource capital and that they do not even have gross savings to compensate for their fast depreciating wealth while also experiencing a fast depletion of their natural resources. Meanwhile, developer countries profit off these resources. The report is based on how much wealth a country accumulates for its future or next generation. Wealth broadly signifies “natural resources, produced capital, and human and social capital. It is this wealth which generates national income” (Jitendra, 2014). Natural resources here include forests, minerals, energy, agricultural land and protected areas.High depreciation of wealth per capita implies that the country is becoming poorer by leaving very little wealth for future generations. More so, according to data compiled by the report, "the global rate of natural wealth depletion in a year is 45%, which is the cost of GDP-based growth” (Jitendra, 2014).
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Figure 44: Global Wealth Depletion
The situation of low-income countries is most alarming. The rate of wealth depletion in low-income countries is 88%. In the case of low middle-income countries, this figure is 58 percent, for upper-middle-income countries, it's 34%, and for high-income countries, it is a relatively low 22% (see table above). The table below indicates a direct correlation between resource depletion and development: the more developed a region is, the less is the depreciation of its wealth. Europe and Central Asia, for example, have witnessed less wealth depreciation, whereas Sub-Saharan Africa and middle and North Africa are facing high wealth depreciation.
Due to the crucial efforts for improvements being made by scientists and activists and the rise in awareness for sustainability amongst younger generations due to social media prevalence, Sustainability is becoming more important for all companies. More importantly, consumers have continually shown support for brands that value sustainability and, in fact, have even forced companies to be conscious of their environmental and economic footprint. a=Across all industries. 62% of executives consider a sustainability strategy necessary to be competitive today, and another 22% think it will be in the future (Haanaes, n.d). More companies are seeing sustainability as an area of competitive advantage, but it is still a minority.
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In 2016, the world aviation industry agreed on a global and sector-wide climate action and sustainable framework. This framework was broken down into short-term, medium-term and long-term goals and includes the progress and methods to achieve the goals as an industry (Aviation Benefits Beyond Borders, n.d). Each new generation of aircraft is roughly 15% to 20% more fuel efficient, and manufacturers invest around $15 billion per year in research intro greater efficiency. In the future, aviation airlines are hoping to be able to fly on electric or hybrid aircraft on short-haul flights.
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How Emirates Airlines leveraged the environmental issue of Sustainability their AIMC
The situation of low-income countries is most alarming. The rate of wealth depletion in low-income countries is 88%. In the case of low middle-income countries, this figure is 58 percent, for upper-middle-income countries, it's 34%, and for high-income countries, it is a relatively low 22% (see table above). The table below indicates a direct correlation between resource depletion and development: the more developed a region is, the less is the depreciation of its wealth. Europe and Central Asia, for example, have witnessed less wealth depreciation, whereas Sub-Saharan Africa and middle and North Africa are facing high wealth depreciation.
Due to the crucial efforts for improvements being made by scientists and activists and the rise in awareness for sustainability amongst younger generations due to social media prevalence, Sustainability is becoming more important for all companies. More importantly, consumers have continually shown support for brands that value sustainability and, in fact, have even forced companies to be conscious of their environmental and economic footprint. a=Across all industries. 62% of executives consider a sustainability strategy necessary to be competitive today, and another 22% think it will be in the future (Haanaes, n.d). More companies are seeing sustainability as an area of competitive advantage, but it is still a minority.
In 2016, the world aviation industry agreed on global and sector-wide climate action and sustainable framework. This framework was broken down into short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals and includes the progress and methods to achieve the goals as an industry (Aviation Benefits Beyond Borders, n.d). Each new generation of aircraft is roughly 15% to 20% more fuel-efficient, and manufacturers invest around $15 billion per year in research intro greater efficiency. In the future, aviation airlines are hoping to be able to fly on electric or hybrid aircraft on short-haul flights.
Emirates Airlines Chairman has shared an impactful open letter to the public sharing the company's commitment to sustainability (figure x). The airline has made a tremendous effort towards eco-friendly aircraft, fuel-saving operations, biofuel, and reducing the usage of electricity and plastics onboard. The Dubai-based airlines have continued to spread the messaging of “leading the way” when it comes to sustainability (Arabian Business, 2019).
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Figure 45: Emirates Airlines CEO open message regarding sustainability
While working with the IATA closely to constantly improve fuel efficiency, Emirates Airlines has developed strong fuel-efficiency plans. More so, Emirates Airlines continues to educate the public on sustainable options and initiatives while also showcasing their progress. on World Environment Day 2017, Emirates Airlines released a video on “How to wash an aA380 without water”. The video educates the viewers on how they use a specific “dry wash” method that saves 11/7 trillion liters of water per year. With the dry washing technique and formula, aircraft only need to be “washed” three times a year and remain clean and glossy. More so, a cleaner aircraft also makes it more fuel-efficient. The airline has continued to celebrate World Environment Day and annually posted videos during the celebration to mark their environmentally-conscious and sustainable journey.
Figure 46: Emirates Airlines World Environment Day “Drywashing” Video
Emirates has also invested in solar power systems to generate clean electricity to its major facilities - Emirates Maintenance Center and Emirates Flight Catering Center. The Catering Center’s rooftop has “8,112 individual solar panels and is expected to generate 4,195 megawatt-hours of electricity annually”, allowing the company to reduce traditional energy consumption by 15 percent across its laundry, food manufacturing, and staff accommodation facilities. Consequently, the carbon dioxide emission will decrease by three million kilograms annually – the equivalent of the annual electricity use of 518 family homes (Business Traveller, 2021). In a video filmed and posted by Khaleej Times, we can see the amount of space, supplies, and workforce required at the Emirates Catering facility. Posted two years ago, while watching the intricate details on how the catering, menu and process works- we also know that all this is done while keeping sustainability in mind to minimize fuel and electricity footprints.
Figure 47: Emirates Airlines Catering Facility video by Khaleej Times
​​In addition, as many passengers value comfort and coziness as part of their onboard experience- Emirate Airlines has also launched sustainable blankets made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. Blankets and pillows are a key essential for many passengers and Emirates have found a sustainable twist to the iconic comfortable grey blanket. Using Eco Thread patented technology, each blanket is made from 28 recycled bottles through a process that turns recycled plastic chips into yarn, creating a polar fleece material. The airline says that the blankets will have rescued 88 million plastic bottles from landfills by the end of 2019 .
Conclusion
To conclude, both Emirates Airlines and Etihad Airways have enhanced their communicative efforts towards responding to socio-cultural, political, technological and environmental issues. With the significant increase in media channels and the pressure for brands to address global and industry issues to the wider public, both airlines have applied various integrated marketing communication tools such as powerful campaigns, press releases, policies, social media content, publicity interviews, user-generated content and community initiatives.
Although the individual brands have not addressed political issues such as the Muslim ban publically, their major shareholders (the government) have communicated their plans and comments to the public unlike in the previous era regarding terrorism. In contrast, both brands took great strides in protecting their community during the Covid-19 pandemic that was a major socio-cultural issue in the present era. These initiatives included humanitarian flights, wellness programs and urgent Covid-19 testing centers for the public and tourists. In addition, the popularity of social media and viral crises within the aviation industry proved Emirates and Etihad’s ability to avoid scandals and maintain stellar customer service. While the aviation industry plays a vital role in climate change and global warming due to the prevalent usage of non-renewable fuel sources, they have made strides towards enforcing more sustainable practices and policies.