Cargolux Airlines International S.A., based in Luxembourg, is a leading provider of reliable, high-quality air cargo services, and the Global Cargo Carrier of Choice.
Starting with a handful of CL-44 aircraft in the 1970s, the company developed into Europe’s largest all-cargo airline and 6th worldwide. The airline operates a fleet of efficient, purpose-built Boeing 747-8 and 747-400 freighters. Cargolux was the world’s first operator of both aircraft types and uses its fleet, paired with trucking contractors to move cargo on its worldwide network that covers some 75 destinations with more than 85 offices in over 50 countries. Strong of 50 years of experience, Cargolux is specialized in the handling of sensitive and time-critical shipments such as live animals, perishables, temperature-sensitive commodities, or outsize freight.
Beyond the global sustainability challenges, the aviation industry is subject to increasing scrutiny due to its impact on the environment. To best mitigate the effect of its operations, in 2017, Cargolux launched a materiality analysis to thoroughly prioritize the most significant economic, environmental, and social impacts the company needs to focus on. Stakeholder engagement was therefore essential to get an accurate representation of both the reality and expectations.
The journey began with in-depth desktop research on market trends using a sector-specific benchmark analysis to develop an exhaustive list of issues to be ranked. To build a solid ranking, Cargolux adopted an inclusive and progressive program of stakeholder engagement structured on the following methodological steps:
This program resulted in a sharp materiality matrix highlighting 8 priority topics to work on. While we focus our strategy, resources and efforts on these material challenges, we will go further with our stakeholder engagement plan in the coming years and periodically engage new groups as per our continuous improvement approach.
As an airline operating on a global scale, Cargolux is aware of its responsibility in terms of sustainable development. Since the beginning of our journey, we have been able to count on Forethix’s support and advice to develop a solid sustainability roadmap. We have worked hand in hand to structure the pillars of our strategy and we look forward to working together in the future to enhance our skills as regulations and stakeholder expectations evolve.