Embraer, as part of its commitment to building a sustainable future, has set itself ambitious new environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets, including a commitment to carbon neutral operations by 2040. The company has developed social responsibilities and environmental goals, which include offering an inclusive workplace for all employees and launching a zero-emission vehicle, all of which are integrated into the company's corporate sustainability plan. The ESG goals are focused on helping to move both the company and the aviation industry forward.

“We recognise the urgency of the climate crisis, and we are fully committed to a more sustainable future,” says Embraer president and CEO Francisco Gomes Neto. “We are stepping up our efforts to minimise our carbon footprint by remaining dedicated to innovating solutions that have a broader impact for our customers, our local communities and our aircraft. ESG is at the heart of Embraer's purpose, and that's why we've included ESG as one of the pillars in our strategic plan 'Fit for Growth', aligning business strategy with social responsibility and environmental practices.”

To achieve the aviation industry's goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, Embraer will develop a range of products, services and disruptive sustainable technologies, such as electrification, hybrid, SAF and other energy alternatives. The company will also be offsetting any residual emissions that cannot be reduced through efficiency projects, available alternative energy or advancing technology.

Aligned with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the company will reach carbon neutral operations by 2040 (Scope 1+2) through: a 50 per cent reduction in net carbon emissions by 2040 from a 2018 baseline; 100 per cent energy from renewable sources by 2030; beginning to use sustainable aviation fuel by 2021; carbon neutral growth from 2022 (2021 baseline).

Net zero aviation emissions by 2050 (Scope 3) will be achieved by: developing products, services and disruptive sustainable technologies such as electrification, hybrid, SAF and other innovative energy alternatives; working together with suppliers to make its current aircraft compatible with the use of 100 per cent SAF; actively working with the supply chain to expand the global SAF production scale; continuously improving the efficiency of its current portfolio; and launching zero emission eVTOL aircraft by 2026.

In the social arena, education plays a key role in Embraer's history of success. The company promotes an ecosystem for the generation and dissemination of knowledge that creates access in local communities through key social programming and educational initiatives. These positively impact society while attracting local talent. For the last two decades, Embraer has been a reference of corporate social responsibility in Brazil.

In this regard Embraer has the following goals: to have 25 per cent of women in its in-company Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering program by 2025; bring more than 80 per cent of the students from Embraer high schools to public universities; and launch ‘Social Tech’, a new programme focused on selecting 1,500 people from underrepresented groups in technology by 2025, to provide qualification training for tech-related job opportunities.

“The demand for qualified professionals in the technology field is growing in the global job market; however, they are often not within the reach of underrepresented groups. With Social Tech, it is our hope to contribute to eliminating these social and economic barriers,” explains Carlos Alberto Griner, Embraer's VP of people, ESG and communications.

Additional emphasis will be put on promoting social inclusion within the company. Embraer is committing to delivering and enhancing continuous diversity and inclusion training for 100 per cent of its leadership positions by 2021 and all employees by 2022. Embraer is continuing its diverse recruiting policy and committed to hiring 50 per cent diverse hires for entry-level employee programmes by 2025 and will increase the representation of women in senior leadership to 20 per cent by 2025.

During the virtual event to announce its ESG goals, Embraer reported progress in its initiatives in aeronautical electrification research, including the first flight of its all-electric demonstrator aircraft. The prototype uses an EMB-203 Ipanema and is performing flight tests at Embraer's unit in Gavião Peixoto, Brazil, as part of a technological cooperation between Embraer and two of Brazil's largest electric mobility solutions providers, WEG and EDP. The partnership has increased knowledge of the technologies that are needed to increase the energy efficiency of an aircraft and the electric devices that must be integrated into an innovative propulsion system.

Acknowledging the climate crisis demands a global and multi-sector approach, Embraer also recently joined the Target True Zero initiative launched by the World Economic Forum (WEF) as part of the commitment to achieve zero-emissions aviation goals through new propulsion systems and fuel technologies. The initiative will identify ways to accelerate the deployment of zero-emissions aviation by leveraging electric and hydrogen technologies.