OREANDA-NEWS. Delta Air Lines' (NYSE: DAL) 2014 Corporate Responsibility Report details accomplishments initiated last year to improve sustainability, highlighting the airline's environmental commitment, community involvement, supply chain management, employee relations, operational reliability and financial performance.

"We believe that reducing our impact on the environment is a business imperative," said John Laughter, Delta's Senior Vice President – Corporate Safety, Security and Compliance. "We remain committed to reporting on our performance and doing what we can to address climate change through ongoing fuel efficiency improvements."

Delta's 2014 Corporate Responsibility Report can be accessed online at delta.com/responsibility and features an introductory letter from Delta's CEO Richard Anderson.

Significant accomplishments in the 2014 report include: 

  • Achieving carbon-neutral growth based on  2012 emission levels through the purchase of more than 1.7 million carbon offsets
  • Reducinghazardous waste generation system-wide by 14 percent
  • Expanding Delta's In-Flight Recycling program to 33 cities, which increased recycled material by 6.8 percent 
  • Diverting 12,640 pounds of life vests, 65,000 pounds of carpet and 7,973 tons of leather seat covers through upcycling efforts
  • Continuing a tradition of support for a variety of charitable organizations both in the U.S. and internationally, including the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, CARE, the Ghana Red Cross Society, Habitat for Humanity International, KaBOOM!, The Prince's Trust and the United Way
  • Exceeding minority and women-owned business enterprises and diverse supplier performance goals by 2.5 percent and 7 percent respectively
  • Reducing Delta's employee injury rate by 4 percent relative to 2013 levels
  • Rewarding the efforts of Delta employees with more than \\$1 billion in profit sharing and \\$84 million in bonuses for meeting operational goals
  • Delivering best-in-class operational performance withon-time arrivals at 84 percent and a completion factor of 99 percent, excluding the impact of storms
  • Reporting a \\$4.5 billion profit for the year, excluding special items, an all-time record for the airline industry

The 2014 report also highlights the airline's continued focus on the fuel efficiency of its aircraft and ground support equipment, providing commute options for employees and creating opportunities for customers to offset greenhouse gas emissions associated with their flights.

Additionally, Delta successfully verified its complete 2014 greenhouse gas emissions inventory under The Climate Registry and was again named to the Dow Jones Sustainability North American Index and has been since 2011.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 170 million customers each year. Delta was named to FORTUNE magazine's top 50 World's Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the fourth time in five years. Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for four consecutive years, a first for any airline. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 327 destinations in 60 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a newly formed joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with key hubs and markets including Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products, services and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground.