Etihad is committed to achieving high standards of sustainability, aligned with global frameworks and the goals of the United Arab Emirates. Aiming to continually demonstrate excellence in sustainability under the banner of the UAE, Etihad proudly represents the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Learn more about our approach to sustainability.
What is a carbon credit?
A carbon credit is a unit of measurement used when carbon offsetting. It represents the avoidance or removal of one metric ton of CO2 from the atmosphere.
Once a climate project is developed, monitored, verified and certified as a legitimate carbon offset project by a recognised standard such as the Gold Standard or Verified Carbon Standard (VCS), carbon credits can be issued and sold. The price of carbon credits can vary depending on factors such as the project type and market demand. The revenue generated from the sale of carbon credits is used to finance and support these projects. It helps cover the costs of implementing and maintaining them. The funds go towards project development, operational expenses, or community initiatives associated with the project.
The purchase of carbon credits is a financial incentive for the continuation and expansion of these projects, allowing them to make a tangible and measurable impact on the environment.
All CarbonClick credits have been permanently retired and cannot be reused, ensuring a real, positive impact on the climate today.
How does carbon offsetting work?
Carbon offsetting is a form of climate action that is used to ‘compensate’ or ‘give back’ for emissions that can’t yet be avoided. This is done by making a positive impact on the environment elsewhere, by investing in climate projects that remove carbon from the atmosphere or avoid emissions.
First, the amount of carbon that is emitted by a business, individual or activity is estimated based on accepted models and emission factors. The result of this is called a carbon footprint. Once you know your footprint, you may wish to purchase carbon credits (your footprint is merely for your information). These credits represent avoidance or removal of greenhouse gases.
The money from buying credits goes to projects that help tackle the climate crisis; such as renewable energy initiatives, forest conservation, reforestation and others, via CarbonClick. Making a purchase or contribution to these products does not reduce, absorb or neutralise the climate impact of flying with Etihad or the footprint created from aviation.
How are emissions calculated?
Our flight emissions calculator tool uses datasets of the Travel Impact Model which was developed by Google. The Travel Impact Model (TIM) has emerged as a leading standard for flight emission calculations and has been adopted by industry leaders like Google Flights, Skyscanner, Booking.com, Expedia, Sabre and Amadeus. The model combines flight origin and destination, aircraft type, cabin class and seat configuration, load factors and average aircraft utilisation to estimate CO2e emissions for each flight (per seat/passenger). For further information, read more.
Who is CarbonClick?
CarbonClick enables businesses and their customers to take meaningful climate action through high-quality, fully transparent carbon offsetting. CarbonClick has developed a rigorous auditing process to select some of the best climate projects and offers instant traceability to any contribution received. CarbonClick is a certified B Corporation, meeting the highest standards of social and environmental impact.
Where does the money go?
The money paid to CarbonClick for carbon credits goes towards certified carbon offset projects that have met high-quality standards and passed their 7-Point Impact Check. The funds are distributed amongst carbon offset suppliers carrying out the projects and CarbonClick takes a margin of 20% on the carbon credits for sourcing projects, quality assurance, administration and transaction fees. Customers will see the contribution breakdown on their transaction receipt.
How do I know the offset is trustworthy?
CarbonClick is committed to making carbon offsetting tangible and trustworthy. They do this by providing full transparency on how we select their projects, their methodologies and the positive impact that is being made. Anyone offsetting with CarbonClick can instantly trace every transaction to the projects it supports. You can even see the retirement certificates for every kg of CO2 offset. Relevant links to the retirement certificates of the projects are provided in purchase confirmation screens and pages, as well as CarbonClick's website.