Accor and Air France-KLM Face Higher Debt Costs After Missing Climate Targets


Skift Take

The financial hit isn't big, but the disclosures reveal the reasons companies may miss climate targets.

Air France-KLM and Accor will pay higher interest rates on some debt after missing climate targets tied to their sustainability-linked bonds.

Both companies disclosed the penalties in financial filings over the past week.

Sustainability-linked bonds are a type of debt where the interest rate a company pays is tied to whether it meets environmental targets. If a company hits its goals, it continues paying the agreed interest rate. If it misses them, it faces a penalty.

Accor Misses Two Climate Targets

In November 2021, Accor obtained a €700 million sustainability-linked bond with a 2.375% interest rate, which it had agreed to pay off in November 2028.

The bond was tied to two specific greenhouse gas reduction targets, both measured against a 2019 baseline and to be achieved by the end of 2025.