Lyon Airports reaches Airport Carbon Accreditation level 3 certification

Lyon Airports continues to increase its reputation as one of Europe’s most environmentally conscious airports.

Since 2008, the airport has put in place numerous initiatives to lower its carbon emissions and promote sustainable growth. Lyon Airports registered a 14.65% decrease in CO² emissions from 2012-2015 and has ensured that 100% of the electricity used is green. Lyon Airport’s latest efforts have been recognised by reaching Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) level 3 certification.

ACA level 3 certification was obtained by challenging the businesses present on site to become more carbon neutral, thus demonstrating Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport’s continued commitment and devotion towards more sustainable growth.

Since November, Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport is part of a select group of 22 European airports to have reached Airport Carbon Accreditation level 3 certification.

Involved in this ambitious, independent program organised by Airport Council International Europe since 2012, Lyon Airports has shown its ability to carry out concrete actions to improve reduce carbon emissions, thereby achieving the first two levels of certification by 2013. Achieving the third level of certification meant bringing the majority of Lyon Airports’ partners into the process.

The creation of a « Carbon Club » in 2015 helped create a mind-set and true culture of countering global warming at the airport. More than 20 companies, representing half of the 5800 employees present on site, worked to together with Lyon Airports to allow it to extend its collection of data on CO2 emissions. This included employee travel, energy usage and especially aircraft traffic (take-off, landing and taxiing).

An audit carried out in September confirmed that these unifying efforts had an effect, which resulted in Lyon Airports obtaining Airport Carbon Accreditation level 3 certification. But the work does not stop there, Lyon Airport and its partners must follow through to justify the new level 3 certification. To do this, the extended and widespread use of electric vehicles or the optimisation of aircraft movement on the track before take-off are both actions to be implemented in the foreseeable future.