Gatwick's green stamp of approval signals decade of change

Gatwick Airport announces the launch of its first sustainability plan as an independent airport and becomes the largest UK airport to achieve the Carbon Trust Standard, signalling its commitment to become a sustainable airport. The plans - called a 'Decade of Change' - sets out the airport's environmental targets across its business activities for the next 10 years with the overall goal of reducing its carbon emissions by 50%. Other key goals include contributing to Gatwick's local communities, transforming public transport access for passengers and staff; improving air quality through the use of new technology and systems; reducing operational noise; sending no waste to landfill; increasing recycling to 70%; reducing energy and water consumption by 20%2 and protecting local habitats at the airport. "Behaving in a responsible and sustainable way is at the heart of our business. As new owners we've grasped the opportunity to introduce new, challenging targets and initiatives to improve our environmental credentials," said Stewart Wingate, CEO of Gatwick Airport. "Over the past six months we've been working very hard to develop a plan that takes us through to 2020, that both recognises our responsibilities and fits with our aspirations for growth and success," added Stewart. The airport is already on its way to becoming a sustainable airport, as recently, it became the largest airport in the UK to achieve the Carbon Trust Standard for reducing its carbon footprint with plans in place to further reduce carbon emissions year-on-year. Gatwick was already the largest airport in the country to achieve certification to ISO14001, the international environmental standard.