Air Canada chooses Less Emissions Inc. as its new offset provider

TORONTO, Oct. 4, 2017 /CNW/ - Less Emissions Inc., Canada's highest quality offset provider, and Air Canada are announcing a new partnership to offer the highest quality carbon offsets to individuals and organizations looking to reduce the environmental impact of their flights. Through Less, customers can calculate and purchase offsets to help mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their air travel.

"We're pleased to announce that Air Canada is partnering with Less to provide its customers with an affordable but meaningful way to lower the environmental impact of their trip," said Ron Seftel, CEO, Less Emissions. "For ten years, Less has been providing a simple and effective way to offset the environmental impact from air travel."

To access the program, Air Canada customers will receive a link to Less Emissions at the bottom of their travel confirmation receipt. After inputting the origin and destination of their flight into the calculator, customers can select one of two options to lessen their flight's environmental impact:

• International Gold Standard certified offsets: Derived from international projects meeting the Gold Standard Foundation's sustainable development criteria, as endorsed by leading environmental groups including WWF International. (Learn more)
• Canadian VER+ certified offsets: Sourced from projects located in Canada that have achieved certification under the VER+ Standard, a globally recognized standard for voluntary GHG emissions reductions projects. (Learn more)

"We are pleased to respond to the ongoing interests of our customers who value the opportunity to voluntarily reduce the carbon footprint and overall environmental impact of their flight," said Teresa Ehman, Director, Environmental Affairs, Air Canada. "Air Canada recognizes its environmental responsibilities and the importance of understanding and integrating environmental considerations into our business operations."

To reduce its emissions, Air Canada has adopted a four-pillar strategy that includes large investments in building a young, fuel efficient fleet. This has helped the company improve fuel efficiency by 40 per cent between 1990 and 2016. The strategy also includes supporting the development of a local industry for sustainable alternative aviation fuel that have a lower life-cycle carbon footprint than today's jet fuels. One example is Air Canada's participation as an airline partner in Canada's Biojet Supply Chain Initiative (CBSCI), a three-year collaborative project that began in 2015 with 14 stakeholder organizations to introduce biojet into the shared fuel system at a Montreal airport. The CBSCI project is a first in Canada and is aimed at creating a sustainable Canadian supply chain of biojet.

For more information on Air Canada's commitment to the environment please consult: https://www.aircanada.com/ca/en/aco/home/about/corporate-responsibility/environment/leaveless.html#!/

About Less
Less, ranked as the highest quality offset provider by the David Suzuki Foundation and the Pembina Institute, provides businesses and individuals interested in lessening their environmental footprint with two convenient options for purchasing offsets. Less' international-based offsets are derived from Gold Standard-certified projects, as endorsed by leading environmental groups, including WWF International. Less' Canadian-based offsets are sourced from projects that have achieved certification under the internationally recognized VER+ Standard. www.less.ca

About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada's largest domestic and international airline serving more than 200 airports on six continents. Canada's flag carrier is among the 20 largest airlines in the world and in 2016 served close to 45 million customers. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service directly to 64 airports in Canada, 57 in the United States and 95 in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America. Air Canada is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation network serving 1,300 airports in 191 countries. Air Canada is the only international network carrier in North America to receive a Four-Star ranking according to independent U.K. research firm Skytrax. For more information, please visit: www.aircanada.com, follow @AirCanada on Twitter and join Air Canada on Facebook.

SOURCE Less Emissions

Less Emissions: Jon McKay, Corporate Communications Manager, 416.360.3464 ext. 239, [email protected]; Contact Air Canada: Isabelle Arthur (Montréal), [email protected], 514.422.5788; Peter Fitzpatrick (Toronto), [email protected], 416.263.5576; Angela Mah (Vancouver), [email protected], 604.270.5741