MALTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’S JOURNEY TO NET ZERO

New regulations and pressure from customers are leading more and more businesses to pledge to operate more responsibly. But what does this mean in practice? Malta International Airport’s recently appointed Head of Sustainability and Analytics, Justine Baldacchino, discusses how the island’s only airport is setting its environmental targets and ensuring that it is on the right path to achieve them, particularly its net zero ambition.

Malta International Airport’s sustainability department came into being fairly recently, in 2020, when the scope of the existing data and analytics department was widened to include the company’s environmental sustainability function. While the relationship between sustainability and analytics might not be immediately evident for everyone, Justine believes that to set realistic environmental targets and, eventually, measure your success in reaching them, your decisions must be rooted in solid data and sound analyses.

One such target, which the company has been setting for the past few years, is related to the reduction of the kilos of carbon dioxide released per passenger travelling through the airport. While this stood at 2.3 kilos back in 2014, the company reported an emission intensity of under one kilo of carbon dioxide for 2022, with this drop stemming from several energy-related investments undertaken along the way. A large volume of disparate data goes into calculating this emission intensity metric: from electricity meter readings taken from practically across the airport campus, whose sprawling size adds to the challenge of keeping records updated, to the litres of fuel consumed by the company’s vehicle fleet and generators, and a few other figures in between.

This is not managed by the sustainability department single-handedly but is the result of real team effort and collaboration. In 2021, Justine set up the company’s Environmental Working Group with the aim of providing the key persons within eight different departments the opportunity to discuss targets, which are incorporated into a wider two-year Environmental Plan once approved, and report on the progress made towards achieving them. Annual results are ultimately presented to and approved by the Corporate Responsibility Committee, which is chaired by the company’s Chief Executive Officer.

RESPONSIBLE WASTE-MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

While the company has been tracking its performance in relation to energy and water management for almost a decade, more responsible waste-management practices and corresponding targets have been a more recent addition. Following a drive towards better waste separation and the introduction of organic waste collection, the target of landfill waste per passenger was established for the first time in 2022 and tied to the payment of a company-wide bonus, in addition to an existing bonus pegged to emission intensity.

“The introduction of such incentives, paid alongside other bonuses that are attached to our financial performance, shows that safeguarding our environment is truly part of our core mission, and we want all our people to feel motivated to join us on this mission,” says Justine, with evident satisfaction at how far Malta International Airport has come in relation to environmental matters.

Scope 3 Emissions

Yet, even more work needs to be put in if the company is to achieve its net zero target by 2050. In 2022, the sustainability team started working on the mammoth task of collecting data to be able to start calculating scope 3 emissions. Put very simply, these are emissions that are not directly produced by the company’s activities or controlled assets but result from stakeholder activities along the value chain. This exercise was kickstarted with a survey to gather information on Malta International Airport’s employees’ work commute patterns, including the type of vehicle used to travel to and from the office and the point of origin of the trip.

Why are scope 3 emissions important? “We had a very encouraging response rate of 82 percent from our employees, and we are now looking into conducting similar exercises with the stakeholders that operate from Malta International Airport but are not directly employed by the company. The mapping of our scope 3 emissions, in addition to scope 1 and 2, will allow us to have a much more complete picture of our carbon footprint and identify emission hot-spots that can be addressed. The collection of this data is a requirement for Malta International Airport to be able to advance to Level 3 of the Airport Carbon Accreditation Programme, which was launched in 2009 to help airports across the globe better manage their carbon emissions.”

Above: While Malta International Airport already generates electricity from several photovoltaic systems, their team is currently laying the groundwork for the airport’s fifth, and largest, photovoltaic installation on the airfield, which is quite a feat given its size. Once the farm is commissioned, the airport would be generating the equivalent of 60 percent of its energy consumption from clean sources.

Left: One target Malta International Airport has been setting for the past few years, is related to the reduction of the kilos of carbon dioxide released per passenger travelling through the airport. While this stood at 2.3 kilos in 2014, the company reported an emission intensity of under one kilo of carbon dioxide for 2022, with this drop stemming from several energy-related investments undertaken along the way.

Investing In Sustainabilityrelated Projects

With Malta International Airport having recently announced a €175 million investment plan in the airport campus, has any of this expenditure been earmarked for sustainability-related projects? The answer is a resounding yes. “The company is currently laying the groundwork for the airport’s fifth, and largest, photovoltaic installation on the airfield, which is quite a feat given its size. If all goes according to plan, once the farm is commissioned, Malta International Airport would be generating the equivalent of 60 percent of its energy consumption from clean sources.”

“Other investments include a major upgrade of the HVAC system to allow for the more energy-efficient heating and cooling of the terminal building, as well as the continued replacement of old lighting units with LED alternatives. Together, these projects will push Malta International Airport closer to its net zero target”, explains Justine. “The team is currently drafting a carbon plan, with the aim of outlining the strategy and long-term action plan to become net zero by 2050.”

Between data-gathering, long-term planning and keeping up with new requirements and legislation, proper environmental management within a large organisation is certainly no easy task. However, Justine feels privileged to be working alongside some very dedicated people who have truly understood the importance of this journey, both for the planet and for the company itself to remain credible over the long term. Apart from the more technical side of environmental sustainability, Malta International Airport also strives to organise fun initiatives to get all the team more engaged, with the next two employee-driven events being a plant-based lunch and a cleanup to mark Earth Day.