Lufthansa Group Expands Climate Portfolio to 14 Projects with 20% Share of Permanent CO2 Removal

Lufthansa Group has reshaped its portfolio of climate protection projects, expanding to 14 certified initiatives while doubling the share of projects that permanently remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to approximately 20 percent. In 2025, passengers contributed to climate protection projects covering more than 710,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide through more sustainable travel options, an increase of around 20 percent compared with the previous year. The revamped portfolio places a stronger emphasis on technology-based solutions including Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage, marking the first time DACCS projects have been included in the Lufthansa Group's climate protection offering.

 

Portfolio Structure and Certification Standards

 

The new portfolio is divided into avoidance and removal categories, with avoidance projects preventing carbon dioxide emissions outside the airline industry through measures such as energy-efficient cookstoves and modular biogas plants. Removal projects actively extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it over the long term, through both nature-based approaches such as reforestation and technology-based methods including biochar production and direct air capture with geological storage. All 14 projects are certified according to the highest available standards, including the Gold Standard recommended by the German Environment Agency, with Gold Standard projects also contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in their respective regions.

The portfolio is being implemented across Lufthansa Group's home markets of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Italy alongside projects in additional countries, providing geographic diversity aligned with the group's operational footprint. Partners supporting the portfolio include myclimate, First Climate, Ceezer, Senken, Climeworks and 1PointFive, combining established carbon market specialists with frontier technology providers. Nina Sproedt, Head of Sustainability at Lufthansa Group, said the portfolio places increasing focus on technology-based projects that enable long-term carbon sequestration, contributing to the development and scaling of these technologies.

 

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The Strategic Shift Toward Permanent Removal

 

The doubling of the removal project share to 20 percent reflects a deliberate strategic reorientation toward higher-permanence carbon credit types, responding to growing investor and regulatory scrutiny of offset quality across the aviation sector. Avoidance and nature-based removal projects have faced increasing credibility questions in recent years, with concerns about additionality, permanence and verification standards. By increasing exposure to engineered removal technologies such as DACCS, Lufthansa Group is positioning its climate portfolio at the more defensible end of the carbon market quality spectrum.

The inclusion of DACCS projects for the first time signals recognition that frontier carbon removal technologies need early corporate demand to develop the track record and scale needed for commercial viability. Lufthansa Group is already working with partners including Deep Sky, Airbus and Climeworks to advance the development and utilisation of these innovative technological solutions, creating a broader ecosystem of involvement beyond the climate protection portfolio itself. This combined approach of direct technology partnership and voluntary credit procurement mirrors a pattern emerging among leading aviation operators seeking to credibly engage with hard-to-abate emissions.

 

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Outlook for Aviation Climate Protection and Passenger Engagement

 

The 20 percent year-on-year growth in passenger contributions to climate protection projects demonstrates rising consumer willingness to engage with voluntary sustainability options in air travel, a trend that is expected to continue as awareness of aviation's climate footprint grows. Whether Lufthansa Group can sustain this growth trajectory while maintaining the quality and integrity of the underlying portfolio will depend on the rigour of project selection, ongoing certification oversight and transparent communication of outcomes to passengers. Sproedt emphasised that climate protection projects complement the group's own emission reduction measures rather than replacing them, with sector-specific reductions always taking priority.

The broader aviation decarbonisation agenda remains dominated by sustainable aviation fuel development and operational efficiency improvements, with carbon removal and offset portfolios serving a complementary rather than primary role. Lufthansa Group's investment in DACCS technology partnerships alongside its consumer-facing offset portfolio positions the company to contribute to both the demand and supply sides of frontier carbon removal markets. Sustained commitment to high-quality, technologically credible climate protection projects will be important for maintaining passenger trust and investor confidence as mandatory climate reporting and disclosure requirements for aviation continue to expand.

 

Source: Lufthansa Group