MTU Aero Engines Sustainability Report

We talk a lot about sustainability in aviation, but what is really done? MTU Aero Engines is facing up to its responsibility by acting sustainably. As far as sustainability is concerned, what plans has MTU set out for itself as a company and for its products? What has the company already accomplished on its way to attaining its goals? All these facts and figures are released in the 2018 Sustainability Report.

Under sustainability.mtu.de/report2018/en/ the company accounts of its activities in the area of sustainability and corporate responsibility, a report drawn up according to international standards (Global Reporting Initiative and the principles of the UN Global Compact). 

A glance at the report gives an idea of the breadth of topics that MTU sums up under the sustainability heading.  With regard to climate protection, there is any other industry in the mobility sector that has set itself more ambitious targets than the aviation industry. “As we go forward with our Clean Air Engine agenda, CO2 emissions attributable to aero engines will be cut by 40 percent and noise emissions even by 65 percent by the year 2050. With our geared turbofan engines, we’ve already accomplished what we had wanted to achieve in the first stage of this ambitious project. We are now working intensely on the second generation of this propulsion system to make it even more fuel efficient, environmentally friendly and quieter,” says MTU CEO Reiner Winkler. “We have a clear ultimate objective, though, and that’s climate-neutral aviation without compromising on product quality and flight safety,” Winkler adds.

But the company has also set itself a number of goals when it comes to employees. It’s not least because of society’s ever more challenging expectations that employee qualifications are becoming ever more important. MTU supports its employees in their development and invests in future-proof workplaces. The sustainability report covers this aspect and also addresses the new leadership values developed by the company last year: We transform, we empower, we create trust. “They form the backbone of our leadership culture. With these values, we want to take MTU successfully into the future,” says Winkler.

But sustainability does not end at the gates of MTU’s facilities. This is why the company also takes a close look at its upstream supply chain. The report shows how the company ensures that MTU’s standards are likewise met by its more than 7,000 suppliers. 

For the company, pushing for action to achieve higher-order objectives, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations in its 2030 Agenda, is also part of its sustainable business activities. For the first time now, these SDGs form an essential part of MTU’s sustainability reporting. Eight out of the 17 SDGs are of special relevance to MTU, among them quality education, climate action and responsible consumption and production. 

Product stewardship is the company’s main focus, but sustainability at MTU goes far beyond climate protection and safe flight operations. It encompasses resource-conserving and environment-friendly production and maintenance as well as fair and safe working conditions, equal opportunities for all employees and high-quality training and development. In addition, compliance forms a key part of MTU’s corporate culture; when it comes to sustainable innovation, the digital transformation of MTU plays a key role.