Business Case Studies & Business Publications

Decarbonization at Ryanair: Quantifying ...

Naughton, James

Case

Decarbonization at Ryanair: Quantifying Emissions for Sustainable Aviation

Naughton, James

C-2487 | Published July 30, 2024 | 7 pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

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Thomas Fowler, Ryanair Holdings plc's (Ryanair's) director of sustainability and finance, had never had a more ambitious agenda. Michael O'Leary, the company’s outspoken CEO, was pushing for Ryanair to be a leader in carbon accounting and decarbonization in Europe. Ryanair had long focused on operational efficiency to lower costs, and the hope was that this organizational feature would translate to excellence in sustainable operations, lowering costs and increasing customer satisfaction. Creating a robust set of communications that avoided allegations of greenwashing, however, seemed daunting. Fowler needed to take the steps necessary to extend Ryanair's leadership position. It was already the highest-rated airline on environmental measures by Sustainalytics, a leading provider of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores. What else could he do from a measurement and reporting standpoint to drive change?