Sustainability
Sustainability
Ireland’s principal international airport, Dublin Airport is amongst the busiest airports in Europe. Opened in 1940 for commercial operations, it has since been used by approximately 250 million people. Dublin Airport is a large campus covering approximately two and a half thousand acres of land. Given the complex operations needed to support an international airport it is inevitable that Dublin Airport impacts on the environment and local communities.
We aim to develop and operate our business in compliance with regulatory requirements, best management practices and with sensitivity to the local community.
DAA’s Sustainability Vision
“To be a responsible airport operator by minimising our impact on the environment and our immediate neighbours, whilst supporting economic growth as Ireland’s busiest airport and making a positive contribution to the society in which we operate”.
DAA’s Sustainability Policy Statement
DAA is an airport management company responsible for the management, operation and development of Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports as well as domestic and international airport retail management and airport investment. In operating and developing we commit to:
- Run our businesses in compliance with national and international environmental legislation
- Manage natural resources and waste as efficiently as possible
- Identify, manage and minimise adverse environmental impacts associated with our operations
- Identify, manage and minimise our direct carbon emissions
- Set specific targets to achieve our environmental objectives and strive to continually improve environmental performance through annual review and update of our objectives and targets
- Encourage best practice environmental management throughout all aspects of our operations and our tenants operations and support the polluter pays principle
- Communicate our commitments regarding environmental management and sustainability to our stakeholders including our staff, neighbours and tenants
- Publish an Annual Sustainability Report.
Dublin Airport’s Sustainability Report
This report is designed to provide readers with information on what sustainability really means for the airport. Our approach to Sustainability incorporates the commitment to understand and learn from experience and to progressively develop our capabilities to respond according to industry best practice. The report includes our set of objectives for 11 key sustainability issues for the airport.
- Energy
- Air Quality
- Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA)
- Water & Wastewater
- Transport
- Storm water
- Design & Construction
- Biodiversity
- Procurement
- Waste
- Noise
- Economic Contribution
- Social Contribution
For more information regarding these key sustainability issues, please see the 2010 Dublin Airport Sustainability Report here.
2009 Dublin Airport Sustainability Report
We welcome your feedback on our sustainability performance
and on this report. If you have any comments please email us at Sustainability.Dublin@daa.ie
Airport Carbon Accreditation
During 2011, Dublin Airport successfully achieved the ‘Reduction’ status accreditation under the Airport Council International (ACI) – Airport Carbon Accreditation programme.
Airport Carbon Accreditation is the European standard for carbon management and emission reductions at airports. This certification programme, specifically designed for airports, has received widespread support and endorsements from both the EU and the UN Environment Programme. Launched in June 2009, the programme has four levels of accreditation: mapping, reduction, optimisation and neutrality.
This award is a significant milestone in the advancement of the DAA’s overall Sustainability Strategy. Dublin Airport’s accreditation at the ‘Reduction’ level means that the airport has mapped all of the CO2 emissions sources under its direct control, on the airport site and also succeeded in reducing those CO2 emissions.
Airport Carbon Accreditation is an annual certification programme and consequently requires ongoing commitment to sustainability and continuous improvements from year to year.
At present, there are 55 airports in Europe (+ 1 in Asia Pacific) which are Airport Carbon Accredited at various levels of the programme. Airports accredited to date handle more than 52% of European passenger traffic each year and since its launch in June 2009.
To find out more, go to www.airportcarbonaccreditation.org
Enviro Aero
Enviro.aero - Facts about aviation and the environment
Choosing to travel by air whether it is for our summer holidays, a weekend city break or business travel poses a dilemma for the environmentally conscious among us who endeavour to minimise our contribution to greenhouse gases.
CO2 emissions are the principal cause of climate change and the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that aviation contributes 2% of the world's CO2 emissions. This figure is forecasted to reach 3% in 2050. These are some of the facts concerning aviation and the environment outlined on the Enviro.aero website.
Unfortunately there are many myths and untruths concerning aviation and the environment as we become ever more conscious of our contribution to global warming.
Enviro.aero is an initiative supported by DAA and the commercial aviation industry with a purpose to providing clear information on the many industry measures underway to limit the impact of aviation on the environment.
Enviro.aero has been developed under the umbrella of the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG). ATAG has over 70 members worldwide including International Air Transport Association (IATA), Airports Council International (ACI), Boeing and various airline and airport members and supporters.
The website can be viewed at www.enviro.aero and includes a number of topics such as: what causes climate change, impact of flying, emissions trading and an interactive feature called The Flying Experience showing how the environmental impact of flying is being minimised at every step of every journey.
For more detailed information on 'What Causes Climate Change' click here.
Did you know?
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By shortening routes and reducing weight, airlines saved 12 million tonnes of C02 last year, equivalent to taking three million cars off the roads.
- The new Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 aircraft are more fuel efficient per passenger kilometre than hybrid cars.
- By 2020, aircraft operations will be at least 25% more fuel efficient than today.
- Today's aircraft fly more than three times as far with the same amount of fuel as they did 40 years ago.
- Transport contributes to just 14% of global C02 emissions.
Inclusion of Aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)
The European Emissions Trading Scheme is a measure taken by the EU to incentivise the reduction of CO2 emissions by allocating emission certificates (1 certificate for 1 tonne of CO2 produced).
Directive 2008/101/EC was published in January 2009 to include the aviation sector into EU ETS from 2012 onwards. Airlines have to monitor and report Annual Emissions regularly from 2010 onwards. The EU ETS will cover any aircraft operator, whether EU or foreign-based, operating international flights to, from or between EU airports.