30 SUSTAINABILITY T Loganair – GreenSkies


AT Loganair, we are passionate about the future of the world we live in. This is why we have launched our GreenSkies programme. We are proud to be the first UK regional airline to


take such an ambitious step towards managing and mitigating the environmental impact of flying, and we see our programme as a clarion call for all transport providers – road, rail and ferry as well as aviation – to address and reduce emissions across the entire transport industry.


In line with the Scottish government targets, we


Step Into Spring With These Outdoor Breaks


For the adventurer


• Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Seattle


• • Gunnison National Forest, Colorado


• • National Park 75th anniversary, Florida’s Paradise Coast


• • Laurel Highlands, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania


• • Hachinohe, Japan • • West Hollywood, California


• • The Islands of Tahiti • • Desert hikes in Greater Palm Springs, California


• • South Fork American River Trail, Sacramento California


• • Yosemite Mariposa County, California


For the forest bather


• Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California


have set ourselves a goal to ensure our operations are fully carbon neutral by 2040 via other means than carbon offsets alone and have already been working hard on projects behind the scenes. We know right now though, that flying, like any form of transport, does have an impact, and for that reason, we’ve taken immediate industry-leading action on this issue whilst setting out a roadmap for future developments as technology allows. What we’re doing now - Small Change, Big Difference The first step of our initiative includes being the first


and only UK airline to date to introduce a mandatory £1 charge per customer on every flight, funds are then used to fully offset the carbon emissions generated from Loganair’s operations. The decision to involve every single Loganair customer in contributing to GreenSkies was taken so that together we can use our collective power to make a difference while ensuring the cost to each and every individual is affordable.


It’s important to us that we’re upfront about the £1 charge. We want to be honest with our customers, and we know this will help them understand how committed we are to highlighting the need to recognise the impact of each passenger journey. That important message would be lost if we simply incorporated this contribution invisibly into our fares.


Funds raised will be invested in projects all over the world that meet internationally accredited standards to remove carbon from the atmosphere. We utilise only carbon credits accredited and certified the highest international standards in our net-zero plan. We have purchased a variety of different credits which support a range of projects, some focused on renewable power, others working to preserve and enhance rain forests in Asia and South America. Looking to the Future We are in the race to net zero, but it isn’t a sprint. We want to ensure that the steps we’re taking now will have a significant impact on our future. While the carbon offsetting programme is the first step, we need technology that removes the carbon altogether. We will be introducing sustainable aviation and hydrogen fuel, in addition to battery-electric and hydrogen-powered light aircraft, in incremental phases as technological advances allow. We have already renewed our fleet with the most fuel-efficient regional aircraft available – ATR42 and ATR72 turboprops – and we’re investing in exciting electric-powered aircraft trials that could generate zero- carbon flying, as well as other innovative flight planning technology.


Through the Future Flights Project, we are engaging with leading aerospace and technology companies to ensure we can have the systems we need to achieve our carbon neutral goal. Part-funded by Innovate UK, the Future Flight program is designed to develop the future, cleaner technologies necessary to enable aviation in the coming decades. As part of the initiative, we have teamed up with innovative industrial partners to develop low carbon air transport solutions using Hydrogen fuel, in addition to electric battery and hybrid technologies, as well as to look at the ground infrastructure needed to support future aircraft.


We are also a partner of Project Fresson, developing


a Hydrogen fuel cell-powered conversion of the BN2B Islander aircraft used by Loganair on our Orkney inter- isles services. Tests are taking place in Orkney, a place with a strong history of involvement in green technology – an exciting next step towards electric and hydrogen- powered aircraft being available within the next decade. For more information, please visit loganair.co.uk/ people-planet/greenskies/ and if you would like to read more about Project Fresson, please see aerosociety.


April/May 2022 Travel News


WTTC and UNEP Release New Report on Single-Use Plastic Products to Advance Sustainability in Travel & Tourism


HE World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have launched a major new report, addressing the complex issue of single-use plastic products within Travel & Tourism. ‘Rethinking Single-Use Plastic Products in Travel & Tourism’ comes as countries around the world begin to reopen and the Travel & Tourism sector starts to show signs of recovery from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report is a first step to mapping single-use plastic products across the whole Travel & Tourism value chain, identifying hotspots for environmental leakages, and providing practical and strategic recommendations for businesses and policymakers.


It is intended to help stakeholders take collective steps towards coordinated actions and policies which drive a shift towards ‘reduce and reuse’ models, as well as current and future waste infrastructures. The report’s recommendations include redefining unnecessary single-use plastic products in the context of a company’s own business; giving contractual preference to suppliers of reusable products; and proactively planning procedures that avoid a return to single-use plastic products in the event of disease outbreaks. It also supports research and innovation in product


design and service models which decrease the use of plastic items, as well as revising policies and quality standards with waste reduction and circularity in mind. Virginia Messina, WTTC Senior Vice President


and Acting CEO, said: “WTTC is proud to release this important high-level report for the sector, focusing on sustainability and reducing waste from single-use plastic products in Travel & Tourism. “The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the sustainability agenda with businesses and policymakers now putting an even stronger focus on it. “As a growing priority, businesses are expected to


continue to reduce single-use plastic products waste for the future and drive circularity to protect not only our people, but importantly, our planet. “It is also becoming clear that consumers are making


more conscious choices, and increasingly supporting businesses with sustainability front of mind.” Single-use plastic products can be a threat to the environment and human health, and without deliberate effort across the sector, Travel & Tourism can and will contribute significantly to the issue. The COVID-19 pandemic has had both negative and positive impacts on single-use plastics pollution. The demand for single-use plastics items has increased with safety being a high concern among tourists and take- away services being on the rise.


According to the Thailand Environment Institute,


plastic waste has increased from 1,500 tons to a staggering 6,300 tons per day, owing to soaring home deliveries of food.


However, the pandemic has also catalysed consumer demand for green tourism experiences around the world, with a 2019 global study finding 82% of respondents are aware of plastic waste and are already taking practical actions to tackle pollution. The report


recognises that global solutions are


required to address corporate concerns about the use of single-use plastic products. It aims to support informed decision-making based on the potential impacts of trade- offs and of unintended burden shifting when considering the transition to sustainable alternatives. Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, Director of the Economy Division, UNEP said: “Travel & Tourism has a key role to play in addressing the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, as well as making circularity in the use of plastics a reality. “The advent of COVID-19 and consequent proliferation of single-use plastic products has added urgency to the crises. With this report, we hope to encourage stakeholders in this industry to come together to address this multifaceted challenge. Only by doing so, can we ensure meaningful and durable change.” With around 90 percent of ocean plastic derived from land-based sources and the annual damage of plastics to marine ecosystems amounting to US$13 billion per year, proactively addressing the challenge of plastics within the Travel & Tourism sector is key.


Spring Hotels: the perfect symbiosis between sustainability and quality


THE successful sustainability policy adopted by Spring Hotels shows how a commitment to the environment is no longer simply a matter of ethics, but rather an inspiring path for business performance. Spring Hotels is constantly evolving, a fact clearly demonstrated when, amidst the enormous uncertainty forced upon us by the pandemic, the company underwent significant remodelling of its three hotels in Tenerife to adapt to the new reality of tourist customers. However, the intrinsic philosophy of the Spring group, one of an unwavering faith in innovation, has taken it one step further, with the presentation today of a series of actions and strategies aimed at improving its relationship with sustainability. These actions, which include obtaining the ISO 14001


and EMAS certificates and the renewal of Travelife, contribute not only to the protection and preservation of the natural environment upon which its activity depends, but also go some way towards building a stronger and more attractive brand image for its clients. The nature of Spring’s relationship with sustainability could well be described as passionate. Ever since the company took its very first steps with its environmental policy, Spring Hotels’ commitment has only grown stronger. In addition to the numerous actions that have been carried out along these lines, such as the rubbish clean-up operations on some of Tenerife’s beaches or the implementation of responsible practices with regard to waste management, we also need to add the aforementioned certifications obtained by the Arona Gran Hotel, and the imminent awarding of the ISO 14001 certificate to the Hotel Vulcano. These actions considerably reinforce Spring’s commitment to innovative, top-quality tourism.


For all these reasons and many more, it is fair to say that the future of Spring Hotels looks very promising. The company’s clear positioning in favour of sustainable tourism is perfectly complemented by a proactive spirit that drives Spring to exceed any and all expectations.


Arona Gran, Vulcano and Bitácora, the three hotels that make up the Spring Hotels group in Tenerife, are the perfect example of this symbiosis between innovation, sustainability and quality towards which the tourism sector as a whole must evolve. THE ISO 14001 STANDARD The ISO 14001


standard is synonymous with


protection, but, in practice, acts as a quality seal that guarantees the correct management of environmental risks, a


fundamental element when it comes to


strengthening the values of a brand. The main benefits that come from obtaining this certificate are, on the one hand, economic and, on the other, reputational. In economic terms, complying with sustainability standards results in a considerable reduction in the risk of environmental accidents and, with them, the costs that they usually entail. In terms of reputation, the adoption of sustainable policies such as the ISO 14001 standard has enormous benefits: a better brand image, competitive advantages such as the positive perception of customers and a considerable increase in the value of their experience. Therefore, the commitment to sustainability, rather than a trend, becomes much more about a differential reality in business terms. EMAS AND TRAVELIFE CERTIFICATIONS The European regulation EMAS is an environmental management and audit scheme, based on the ISO 14001 standard, which allows organisations to significantly improve their environmental performance. Based on the concept of a circular economy, this certificate can be understood as an evolution of ISO 14001 in terms of innovation and, likewise, also offers notable benefits, both economic and in terms of social involvement. Travelife is a state-of-the-art certification programme, structured in three phases (Travelife Engaged, Travelife Partner and Travelife Certified), which allows the evaluation, verification and communication of the company’s achievements in terms of sustainability.


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