Airport actuality

Opening of the new Environmental Resource Centre at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport

Augustin de Romanet, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Groupe ADP, has officially opened the new Environmental and Sustainable Development Resource Centre at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. Located in the extended area of the company's head office, the Centre is dedicated to sharing information about the airport’s relations with local communities and residents, and the promotion of eco-friendly best practices.
 
“This Centre symbolises our proactive policy of protecting and promoting the environment and our desire to work together with local residents and elected officials to achieve our goals. Adjoining the Groupe ADP head office, this space illustrates the extent to which corporate social responsibility policy is integral to our strategy,” explains Augustin de Romanet.
 

A new emblematic venue

The 700 sq.m environmental resource centre was designed by a team of internal architects.
The centre includes reception area, an exhibition space with a large green wall, a 147-seater auditorium and a meeting room.
Some twenty screens provide visitors with information on the airport and its ongoing projects, on water management, air quality, biodiversity, sustainable construction, energy management, waste management and the carbon footprint of the airport, on building long-lasting relationships with local communities, the various jobs involved, the airport's economic attractiveness and its corporate social responsibility (CSR). A dedicated area also shows the history and development of the airport in pictures.
Furthermore, a screen equipped with the Vitrail system is at the disposal of visitors and allows them to follow
the flight paths of aircraft overhead. An air traffic controller from the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) is on hand every Monday and Wednesday to talk visitors through what they see.
There has been an Environmental Resource Centre at the airport since 1995. Located in the cargo area, its importance was soon confirmed. For several years now, the Centre has welcomed approximately 15,000 visitors per year, through educational seminars on air transport-related topics, through forums and employment conferences, and through behind-the-scene guided tours of the airport. The Centre has also played host to numerous free large-scale public events throughout the year, such as European Heritage Days, exhibitions, creative workshops and conferences. This educational centre is managed by a staff of 12 people.
 

A recognised corporate social responsibility policy

In order to continue to develop in synergy with its surrounding areas, Groupe ADP enforces the strictest standards and requirements.
Every two years, the Group’s non-financial performance is rated by the independent agency EthiFinance. The management of its environmental and social impact, its governance, and its relations with employees, clients and suppliers all contribute to its overall performance and reliability. The collective efforts of everyone involved in this initiative enabled the Group to  achieve “excellent” status in 2016, with a Group score of 82/100, a 4-point increase on 2014.
Furthermore, a benchmark study carried out in 2016 by Sustainalytics1 of the ten largest airports worldwide in terms of traffic, ranks Groupe ADP in first place. Today, Groupe ADP is striving to hold on to this title with regard to its Paris airports and to export its know-how through the international activity of its subsidiaries.
The Group is also listed on a dozen socially responsible indices including DJSI World and Europe. Our presence in that latter index has in fact just been renewed.
 

Groupe ADP’s long-term commitment to fighting climate change

  • Groupe ADP is confident that it can continue to expand while reducing its carbon footprint and air emissions. At the end of 2016, the Group had cut its CO2 emissions per passenger by 63% in comparison to 2009. Consequently, at the end of 2016, it decided to set itself a new challenge by raising its target for the reduction in its CO2 emissions to 65% at the end of 2020. Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Paris-Orly and Paris-Le Bourget airports are among the best airports in the world in terms of action taken to reduce their CO2 emissions. They have all achieved Level 3 of Airport Carbon Accreditation (“Optimisation”). The 4th and final level represents carbon neutrality, a target the company is striving to reach by 2030.
  • In 2016, renewable energies produced at the Paris airports represented 14.5% of the energy mix  of  the  3   airports,  mainly  a  combination   of  geothermal   energy  and  biomass. To continue to improve these statistics, Groupe ADP entered into contracts with its suppliers in 2016 to guarantee that 60% of the electricity used at Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris- Orly and 100%  of  the  electricity  at  Paris-Le  Bourget  comes  from  renewable  sources.  The Group is committed to increasing this percentage between now and 2020, aiming to ensure that almost 100% of its electricity requirements will be covered by renewable energies.
  • At the beginning of 2017, Groupe ADP introduced an internal carbon price. This initiative forms part of the company’s goal to be carbon neutral by 2030.
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