Working for an airplane leasing client, our team was challenged to develop a solution that would accelerate the decarbonization of the airline industry while providing new business opportunities for the client. We won the competition against 32 top Master's and MBA programs in North America and Europe.​

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Our team’s proposed product - a carbon offset mutual fund designed specifically for the airline industry - was the first of its kind. We designed it for a specific customer group, one poised for significant future growth and in most need of support in their sustainability journey, the low cost carrier (LCC). 

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The fund included carbon credits captured through a process called "insetting," whereby methodology are created to certify practices within the industry supply chain and capture carbon credits from their accelerated deployment. Such a process has been successful with electric vehicle charging stations and hull coatings for commercial shipping. 

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While proposed as a B2B problem, the team saw an opportunity for a B2B2C solution, whereby investments by airlines in a carbon fund could be passed through to their passengers as an alternative to offsetting a flight.  Through a partnership with an investment platform like Robinhood, passengers could invest small amounts in carbon removal projects every time they fly and gain real value as the price per tonne of carbon offset through those projects move.

 

The competition took place over six blistering weeks, during which the team built a huge database of primary and secondary research, including many interviews with airlines and technology providers, and distilled it all into a tight and compelling solution.

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