Working with Others
Environmental issues are complex and tackling them requires collaboration across the aviation industry as a whole. Invariably, implementing environmental solutions calls for changes in the behaviour of passengers, airlines or other partners, along with our own investment in doing things differently. Below are some examples of how we are working with others to improve environmental performance at our airports.
Working with Passengers
The main area in which passenger behaviour impacts on our environmental performance is waste. We have recently installed recycling bins in the concourses at Manchester and East Midlands airports, to encourage passengers to segregate their recyclable waste. We also encourage passengers to put bottles of liquid that cannot be taken in hand luggage into the luggage that they check in, to save them being thrown away at security. Interactive Environment Zones have been installed at all four of our airports, to raise passenger awareness of our environmental commitments and what we are doing to improve performance.
Getting Into the Zone
Through the new environmental zones at our airports, we are communicating with passengers, staff and the local community about our airports' environmental impacts and what we are doing to address them.
In 2009, Humberside Airport opened its Environment and Learning Zone. The learning module delivered within the zone was piloted with Hull Children's University and has been very well received by the groups of school children who have visited. The Zone has been awarded the Conoco Phillips Excellence in Community Relations Award.
These have been constructed in passenger areas, using environmentally sound materials wherever possible. They include information panels and interactive displays about our environmental targets and activities.
Working with Airlines and Industry Bodies
We work directly with the airlines at our airports on issues including recycling aircraft waste and continuous descent approach (CDA). CDA is a way of landing an aircraft that reduces noise and uses less fuel, thereby reducing CO2 emissions. We are also involved with various organisations that are developing cross-industry strategies for reducing the environmental impacts of aviation. These include Sustainable Aviation, the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), the Airport Operators' Association and Flying Matters (see the Collaborating on Climate Change section for more information on these), as well as Airports Council International.
Working with our Partners at the Airports
Our partners at the airports include companies providing cleaning, catering, retail and construction. We encourage them to improve their environmental performance through awareness-raising presentations and materials such as posters and leaflets. We also use more formal procedures, such as audits, and are increasingly incorporating environmental requirements into their contracts and using fines to penalise breaches of those agreements, in line with the 'polluter pays' principle.
Working with Academics and Experts
Through collaboration with academics and experts, we gain access to leading thinking on sustainable aviation. We fund the position of Chair of Sustainable Aviation at Manchester Metropolitan University's Centre for Air Transport and the Environment. This centre conducts research into how the environmental impacts of aviation can be reduced. We are also a partner in OMEGA, a UK Government-funded research project to initiate revolutionary technological, operational and business approaches to reducing the environmental impact of aviation.
Working with Local Communities
Our airports do not operate in isolation: developments in our local communities affect our operations, just as changes at the airports affect those around us. We work with local transport providers to ensure our passengers have reliable, fast and environmentally sound options for travelling to and from our airports (see the Surface Access section for more information). We also get involved with regional environmental initiatives. For example, East Midlands Airport exchanges environmental best practice with other local businesses through the North West Leicestershire District Council's Footprints Challenge. Manchester Airport supports Manchester is my Planet, a campaign to tackle climate change across the region. In 2006, the airport was also one of the first organisations to sign the North West Climate Change Charter.
Winner
Footprints Challenge Awards 2009 East Midlands Airport won the business category in its region's awards