Genève Aéroport's actions in terms of sustainable development and environmental, social and ethical policy have been recognised by the award of two new certifications: the ACA 4+ label developed by ACI Europe and confirmation of the "Silver" label awarded by EcoVadis. In 2025, Genève Aéroport will aim to obtain the "Gold" label.
Genève Aéroport has successfully achieved level 4 + (Transition) of the ACA (Airport Carbon Accreditation) programme developed by ACI EUROPE (Airport Council International).
ACA 4+ certification from ACI, the only global carbon management certification body for airports, recognises that the airport has fully accounted for and reported its direct and indirect CO2 emissions from its activities and operations, that it has significantly reduced its direct emissions, that it has offset its residual direct emissions and that it has begun to reduce its indirect emissions.
The ACI has just revised the levels of its certification programme and added two new levels - level 4 (Transformation) and level 4+ (Transition) before ACA 5. Level 4+ (Transition) is the second highest level of certification after ACA 5, which is reserved for airports that are already carbon neutral (scopes 1&2).
To achieve Net-Zero CO2 emissions on its platform (known as scopes 1&2), Genève Aéroport has set itself a target of 2037, with an intermediate reduction target of 60% by 2026.
Genève Aéroport has already reduced its emissions by around 2,000 tonnes between 2012 and 2022. This is a very good result, exceeding the target of reducing these emissions by 500 tonnes in 2020 and 5,000 tonnes in 2030 compared with 2012 emissions.
The measures taken include the electrification of vehicles operating on the tarmac, the elimination of fuel oil as a source of heating energy and the use of more environmentally-friendly refrigerants.
EcoVadis Silver Label confirmed
In addition, EcoVadis, one of the most respected bodies for certifying companies and measuring their environmental, social and ethical impact according to the principles of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), has just awarded Genève Aéroport the "Silver" label for the 2024 financial year.
Genève Aéroport is aiming to obtain the "Gold" label by 2025, with further progress in terms of points over the previous year (2023). The Gold label is awarded to the top 5% of companies, compared with 15% for the Silver label.
EcoVadis certification is based on a questionnaire covering 21 sustainability criteria in four areas: environment, social, ethics and responsible purchasing.
Genève Aéroport's voluntary strategy
Obtaining these labels is the concrete result of Genève Aéroport's voluntary sustainability strategy. In this context, Genève Aéroport is multiplying its actions, particularly in the operation of its hub, as demonstrated by these certifications. In the aviation sector, Genève Aéroport has introduced financial incentives to encourage airlines to modernise their aircraft fleets, thereby reducing their CO2 emissions and noise pollution.