The new environmental target for SAS is to reduce total carbon-dioxide emissions by 20 percent by 2020 compared with 2007. The new environmental target assumes passenger growth of 4 percent per year and for each producing unit the target entails halving carbon-dioxide emissions by 2020. Two of the methods of achieving this reduction are by implementing energy enhancements and mixing jet fuel with renewable sources.

The environmental target indicates an important pragmatic shift whereby the trend in curves for passenger growth and emissions growth move in opposite directions. Demand for air travel is expected to increase, at the same time as total emission levels are to be decreased. In the long term, the SAS Group aims to attain the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) vision of zero emissions of environmentally harmful greenhouse gases by 2050.

The strategic environmental target requires a large number of short-term and long-term activities. Many have already been commenced in the aviation industry and can be summarized in the following four areas: 

· technological developments (for example, alternative fuels, the next generation of aircraft with improved aerodynamics and more efficient engines)
· infrastructure (for example, Single European Sky and Green Approaches)
· operational measures (for example, reduced fuel consumption in the daily operations)
· economic means of control (for example, the EU Emissions Trading Scheme)

In addition to reducing total carbon-dioxide emissions, prior to 2011 the SAS Group's various airlines and ground-handing operations shall, for example, have only environmentally friendly cars as company cars, have been awarded ISO 14001environmental management systems certification and the SAS Group's airlines shall be considered to be the most environmentally conscious carriers in Europe.