(Yicai) April 23 -- Xiamen Airlines, a pioneer in sustainability, will forge ahead with its early plans for environmental, social, and governance goals toward a zero-carbon future, according to the chairman.

Xiamen Air was the world's first airline to cooperate with the United Nations to support sustainable development goals, Zhao Dong told Yicai in an interview which is the first part of the ESG+20 Sustainability Leaders Interview Series.

The Fujian province-based airline already started planning to economize on oil as a fuel as early as three decades ago, Zhao said, adding that the carrier also became the first Chinese airline to work on reducing carbon dioxide emissions in 2012.

It is crucial to integrate ESG principles with corporate strategies, the chairman said, adding that the company established a commission of sustainable development in 2020 and formulated a plan in line with the UN's 17 SDGs. The plan comprises four categories, namely sustainable safety, green development, prioritizing quality, and shared benefits, which were linked up with actionable schemes related to security, operations, services, digitization, and human resources.

Aviation is key to the survival of the planet. The global aviation sector's CO2 emissions made up 2 percent of the total in 2022, according to the International Energy Agency. However, by 2050, the share could rise to 25 percent, the UN predicted.

Yicai joined hands with the United Nations Global Compact and China International Communication Group's Center for Asia-Pacific to produce a series of talks named ESG+20 Sustainability Leaders Interview Series to share Chinese business leaders' takes on ESG.

Editor: Emmi Laine