JetBlue: Relevant Sustainability Leadership (A)

By: David Freiberg and George Serafeim

Sign Up Now! Already a Member? Log In
You must be logged into Bookshare to access this title. Learn about membership options, or view our freely available titles.

Synopsis: In 2017, JetBlue, the airline founded on the mission to "bring humanity back to air travel", was considering becoming one of the first companies to report its sustainability performance according to the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) standards. SASB standards identified climate change, labor issues, and corporate governance issues as important considerations for companies in the airline industry. Despite operating as a smaller player in an industry dominated by few legacy competitors, JetBlue leadership saw the company as a driver of industry progress. However, would the adoption of SASB standards help JetBlue achieve the goal of "relevant sustainability leadership?" How developing metrics and improved performance on material sustainability issues could be used as an instrument for change management? Should Sophia Mendehlson, the Chief Sustainability Officer, integrated Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) metrics in the regulated fillings as in the 10-K, in separate sustainability reporting mediums, or as a separate report? JetBlue believed sustainability was more than simply a risk mitigation tool. Was it?