OUR WORK

The Sustainable Airlines Initiative as an accelerator and catalyst of impact.

What we do

In response to the pressing need for urgent action on climate change and other sustainability challenges, industries are joining forces with their value chain partners, such as the SAI members, to collectively engage suppliers in a standardized sustainability rating and improvement process using the EcoVadis solution, thereby alleviating the burden on suppliers and driving impactful change, “one assessment, share with all”.

How We Do It

SAI members use the EcoVadis sector initiative ratings platform to enroll their suppliers in the EcoVadis assessment process. The results of the assessment processes – the scorecards – are shared in a common pool which all current and future SAI members have access to. This pool is a private, antitrust safe network on the EcoVadis platform. The commercial link between a rated supplier and the requesting member is kept strictly confidential.

The EcoVadis platform also provides actionable reporting and data visualization tools – both at the member level as well as a sector-wide view – in order to identify risks and pain points.

What Does Modern Slavery Mean?

Modern slavery is a recent term with no globally agreed definitions. It is an umbrella term encompassing a range of exploitative practices of other people for commercial gains.
Modern slavery conditions can be imposed to adults and children, by State authorities, by private enterprises or by individuals. There are some forms of modern slavery not related to private economy activities, such as forced marriage. Others exist in private economies workforces, such as forced labor, human trafficking, etc. Modern slavery can happen anywhere in the world. Private enterprises can have potential modern slavery risks in their own operations and/or in their supply chains.

Why is Modern Slavery a priority for our group?

Modern slavery, including forced labor, remains a significant global issue, with the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimating that 20.9 million people are trapped in forced labor, over half of whom are women and girls. This highlights a critical human rights violation that cannot be ignored by any industry, including ours.

Commitment to Human Rights
Our industry is steadfast in its commitment to upholding and respecting human rights in all forms. This encompasses a strong stance against forced labor. As a collective group, we recognize that the respect for human rights is fundamental to the ethical operation of our businesses.
Regulatory Pressure and Compliance
Increasing regulatory scrutiny has led to the implementation of stringent due diligence regulations globally, including various Modern Slavery Acts. These regulations directly affect the supply chains of Accelerate member companies. Ensuring compliance with these laws is not only a legal obligation but also a moral imperative to protect vulnerable populations from exploitation.
Ethical Responsibility
Forced labor is unequivocally a deal breaker. Our duty extends beyond mere compliance; we are committed to promoting fair and ethical practices within our operations and supply chains. This commitment helps to foster a business environment that respects human dignity and supports sustainable development goals.

How are the Accelerate Members preventing forced labor in their supply chain?

Address this priority topic with industry peers as part of the Accelerate initiative (webinars, learning plan on Modern Slavery for our suppliers at risk)

Accelerate Members’ Procurement teams:

  • Look out for any indicators or suspicious activities that may suggest forced labor from suppliers
  • Report any concerns or suspicious promptly
  • Participate in training programs and awareness campaigns to stay informed
  • Include as part of sustainability factors in sourcing decisions and new supplier evaluations
  • Leverage EcoVadis scorecard results on Labor and Human Rights:
    • Send corrective actions
    • Discuss actions with their suppliers during business review
 

The EcoVadis value proposition is to accelerate members’ programs to drive impact at scale, enhanced by collaboration between industry peers, and underpinned by verified data collected through the assessments.

More about Sector Initiatives

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What is a Sector Initiative?

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Become a member

SAI membership is open to commercial airline companies that are committed to sustainability and fulfill the SAI membership requirements. As part of the application process, each applicant must present their case to the SAI Steering Committee.
There are two opportunities per year.

Join us See requirements