Cathay continues to advance its sustainability priorities through strategic investments and collaborative actions

by

Cathay released its Sustainability Report 2025, reflecting a year of continuous progress in its sustainability journey and reaffirming its support to the aviation industry’s long-term decarbonisation vision.

Chief Executive Officer Ronald Lam said: “This year marks a meaningful milestone for Cathay as we celebrate ‘80 Years Together’ with Hong Kong. At the heart of this journey is our drive for sustainability leadership. Through deeper collaboration across the value chain and investments in our priority areas – from Sustainable Aviation Fuel (“SAF”) and Single-use Plastics (“SUP”) to our community and workforce – we are committed to moving people forward in life in a more thoughtful and responsible manner.

“Decarbonising aviation is a critical yet complex mission. Despite the challenges ahead, we are supporting the development of a robust SAF value chain through strategic investments and collaborations. Together with like‑minded organisations, we are channeling the necessary support and capital to help scale SAF innovation over the long term. Meanwhile, we have also made meaningful progress on the circularity front, as we work to reduce waste generation and reliance on virgin resources across our operations.”

Key highlights from the 2025 report include:

  • Supporting the development of SAF value chain through partnerships and investments: Cathay joined forces as a launch investor of the US$150 million oneworld BEV Fund and committed to a landmark co-investment agreement with Airbus of up to US$70 million, accelerating next-generation SAF technology advancement while driving more mature SAF opportunities for the near- to medium-term. Cathay’s Corporate SAF Programme achieved another year of substantial growth with 17 global partners, recording an increase of nearly 180% in the committed SAF usage compared to last year.
  • Leading the efforts in SUP circularity: In 2025, the Group reduced passenger-facing SUP items in scope to an average of 1.7 pieces per passenger, with further progress towards the target of 1.5 pieces expected by mid‑2026, as remaining replacements are completed. Alongside reduction efforts, Cathay has achieved its goal of sourcing at least 50% of remaining SUP items in scope from recycled plastics and expanding its inflight water bottles recycling programme across Hong Kong and eight additional airports, increasing the network-wide recycling rate of bottles to 21%.
  • Cultivating positive impacts across communities we serve and our workforce: The flagship youth development programme, “I Can Fly”, was refreshed in 2025 with a renewed focus on education, discovery and exploration, engaging over 1,550 students. Cathay’s long‑term partnerships with Kai Tak Sports Park and the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority reflect its support for sports, arts and culture in Hong Kong. Cathay also refined its diversity and inclusion strategy by introducing Belonging@Cathay, a holistic approach that brings together diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging together.

The full Sustainability Report 2025 detailing Cathay’s sustainability progress is available here.