Elimination of single-use plastic is the focus of the Green Airports Recognition 2023 campaign.
Airports Council International (ACI) Asia-Pacific released the findings of the Green Airports Recognition (GAR) Programme 2023, honouring 12 airports in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East for exemplary achievements in their sustainability programmes.
The sector has experienced exponential growth over the last few decades and is predicted to do so in the years to come. An enormous amount of rubbish is anticipated to be produced at airports as air travel expands. One such worry is the rising concern throughout the globe about the effects of single-use plastic pollution, particularly in the aviation sector. Therefore, the elimination of single-use plastic is the focus of the 2023 Green Airports Recognition.
According to several airport size categories and predetermined criteria, the best airports are recognised in one of three categories: “Platinum”, “Gold”, or “Silver”.
These airports are recognised: Annual passenger volume of above 35 million
- Platinum: Single Use Plastic Free Airport at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai
- Accelerating the airport’s decrease of single-use plastics is gold at Hong Kong International Airport.
- Silver: Single Use Plastic Free Delhi Airport at Indira Gandhi International Airport
Between 15 and 35 million travellers annually:
- Platinum: KIAB’s Plastics Circularity Project at Kempegowda International Airport
- Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (Project: RGI Airport free of single-use plastic)
- Silver: Jeju International Airport (Project: Adding reusable water bottles to the airport)
Between 8 and 15 million travellers annually:
- Platinum: Central Japan International Airport (Project: Sustainable Use of PET Bottles from Bottle to Bottle)
- Gold: Adelaide Airport (Project: Precinct with no single-use plastics).
- Silver: Bahrain International Airport (Project: Reducing the usage of single-use plastics at BIA)
Fewer than 8 million travellers annually:
- Silver: SUP Free Airport at Mangaluru International Airport
- Airport in Christchurch, New Zealand, receives a gold rating (Project: Waste Strategy to Circular Solutions).
- Silver: Kaohsiung International Airport (Project: Plastic-Free Life at the Airport)
At the 18th ACI Asia-Pacific Regional Assembly, Conference and Exhibition in Kobe, Japan, the acknowledged airports received recognition.
“Congratulations to all the recognised airports for demonstrating their leadership and commitment in implementing cutting-edge sustainability projects at airports,” stated Mr. Stefano Baronci, Director General of ACI Asia-Pacific. These are crucial actions in our sector’s efforts to safeguard the environment and reduce carbon emissions. We are pleased by the cutting-edge techniques used by airport administrators to reduce the plastic pollution. As we all strive towards the shared goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050, we hope that these innovative ideas will motivate other airports to put them into practise.
Source: traveldailynews