By: Emerging Leaders in Sustainable Aviation
How we communicate climate action has become a vital pillar of the aviation sector’s journey towards net zero carbon emissions. Aviation contributes approximately 2% to global greenhouse gas emissions and has come under increased scrutiny when communicating its sustainability efforts. The error margin when using so-called environmental or green claims is small, as advertising authorities crack down on these claims in an effort to protect consumers from greenwashing.
For young professionals working in sustainable aviation, this is both a responsibility and an opportunity. Our generation can help steer the sector towards clearer, more credible communication, avoiding greenwashing on one side and silence or hesitation to communicate on our joint progress on the other. Here are three core principles to help build trust and integrity in sustainability communications:
Every environmental claim should be based on facts that can be substantiated and verified. Communications cannot overstate progress, and you need to make sure to maintain an accurate picture about aviation’s sustainability efforts while not sugarcoating the sector’s overall climate impact. When using environmental claims, make sure to not exaggerate and not omit essential details that could change how a statement is interpreted.
It is possible for a fact to be technically correct yet still misleading if the overall impression that your claim gives is inaccurate. For example, if you use visuals or emojis of leaves, trees or the colour green to illustrate your claim, it can be seen as misleading as these symbols may imply environmental benefits that cannot be backed up. Or they could be seen as overstating the climate benefits of the measure, product or initiative you are talking about. Honest communication allows you to highlight meaningful progress without undermining credibility.
Sustainability communications should avoid broad, vague or absolute terms such as “green”, “eco-friendly” or “climate neutral”, unless they can be explained and substantiated. Such language can oversimplify a complex reality and risk giving audiences an impression that is more positive than reality. Claims must be phrased with care so that they cannot be misinterpreted or viewed as over-promising.
When describing climate action, specificity is stronger than slogans. Precision in language helps audiences make informed judgements and demonstrates respect for the complexity of aviation decarbonisation. It also makes communications more resilient to scrutiny.
As regulatory and public pressure has intensified, a new risk has emerged: green-hushing. This is when organisations become reluctant to communicate sustainability progress for fear of criticism or being accused of greenwashing.
Yet, not communicating about our industry’s efforts risks silencing ourselves and the positive progress that we as an industry continue to achieve on our path to net zero carbon emissions. Aviation has a positive story to tell, including decades of fuel-efficiency improvements, investments in new technology and the scale-up of sustainable aviation fuel. Acknowledging both progress and challenges is not a weakness but it helps us in communicating with maturity and integrity.
The pathway to net zero is complex, non-linear and without a silver bullet solution. Clear, credible and responsible communication supports the industry by strengthening trust, enabling informed debate and ensuring that stakeholders understand both achievements, and the scale of the work still to be done.
Young professionals will play a crucial role in shaping the tone of the next generation of sustainability communications. By being accurate, unambiguous and open, you can help the aviation sector speak with one voice and uphold the highest standards of integrity.
ATAG has put together an industry guideline on responsible sustainability communications, which is available to anyone working in aviation and can be requested here.
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Join ATAG for its next webinar on green claims: Navigating new rules with smarter communication and AI. Register now and dial in on Thursday 4 December 2025 to learn more on the use of environmental claims in sustainability communications and marketing! Get up to speed on the latest global rules shaping how companies communicate their environmental impact.