dnata makes global green strides on World Environment Day
dnata aims to reduce carbon footprint and waste to landfill by 20 percent by 2024
Air and travel services provider, dnata, is making significant strides towards its goal of reducing its carbon footprint and waste to landfill by 20 percent by 2024. The company’s commitment is part of its two-year green operations strategy, which focuses on sustainability and environmental efficiency.
Since announcing its strategic objectives in June 2022, dnata has been investing $100 million in green operations to enhance its global environmental efficiency. These investments have yielded substantial progress, thanks to the efforts of the entire dnata team. Steve Allen, CEO of dnata Group, expressed his gratitude for their hard work and said, in a June 5 press release, “We are proud to have made significant progress on improving our environmental performance since the announcement of our strategic objectives. We will continue our investments and efforts alongside our partners to further reduce our environmental footprint.”
Renewable energy has played a crucial role in dnata’s efforts to improve global resource efficiency. The company has installed rooftop solar power systems in its facilities, such as operating centers in Singapore and the SnapFresh facility in Australia. These solar panels generate over 4,300 MWh of renewable electricity annually, resulting in approximately 1.85 million kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions savings. In addition, dnata has commenced phase one of a solar PV panel installation in Pakistan, which is expected to generate 244,000 kWh per year. In the UK and Ireland, all electricity purchased is sourced from renewables within the local grids.
Water conservation is another area of focus for dnata. The company is taking proactive measures to collect and reuse condensate from air conditioning units and rainwater in both their existing and upcoming facilities. These initiatives aim to optimize water consumption and reduce associated costs, with the goal of achieving a 50 percent reduction in water expenses by 2025. As an example, their new cargo facility in Iraq, scheduled to start operations in 2024, will incorporate a cutting-edge rainwater harvesting system on its rooftop. This innovative system will efficiently capture, treat, and store rainwater in underground tanks, providing a sustainable source of irrigation and potable water within the facility. dnata is also implementing similar advanced technology in its facilities located in the Philippines and Singapore.
dnata is taking significant steps to reduce emissions by revolutionizing its ground handling fleet. The company is actively investing in both electrification and the utilization of biofuels. A remarkable achievement is that more than 15 percent of dnata’s global fleet has already been electrified. Moreover, dnata remains dedicated to assisting airport partners in upgrading their infrastructure to facilitate further electrification endeavours. In order to optimize environmental and operational efficiency, dnata thoroughly evaluates climatic conditions and existing infrastructure at each airport, thereby diversifying its equipment portfolio to include biodiesel, electric, hydrogen, and hybrid options. dnata has introduced hybrid de-icing trucks to its ground support equipment (GSE) fleet in Switzerland, while in the Netherlands, the company has successfully transitioned its legacy GSE fleet to operate solely on 100 percent biofuel.
dnata is also actively working to reduce waste to landfills through collaboration with industry leaders and policymakers. The company aims to divert 20 percent of waste from landfill by 2024 by improving waste segregation and retrieval processes. Sustainable solutions are being sought for cargo waste materials that are currently destined for landfill. dnata Catering’s retail division is collaborating with airline partners to introduce pre-ordering of inflight meals, effectively reducing food wastage and subsequent fuel consumption.
In its commitment to environmental sustainability, dnata signed up for the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) program. This program adheres to globally recognized environmental and sustainability standards, driving continuous improvement within dnata’s core operations. The company aims to achieve full IEnvA certification by the end of 2023.
dnata has also joined the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), a voluntary initiative promoting responsible business practices and the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals. dnata has made a firm commitment to integrating the Ten Principles of the UNGC in the domains of human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption.
