EasyJet receives IATA IEnvA Stage 1 accreditation for EMS
As the first non-IATA member to participate in the IEnvA accreditation process, easyJet has become the only Low-Cost Carrier operating in the UK to receive an IEnvA Stage 1 verified Environmental Management System (EMS) accreditation.
Image courtesy easyJet
The IATA Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) programme is a globally recognised evaluation system designed to independently assess and help improve the environmental management of an airline.
IEnvA is a voluntary programme helping organisations to identify, manage, monitor and control their environmental issues in a holistic manner. It commits organisations to compliance with environmental obligations and to continually improve their environmental performance.
The programme follows a staged process and easyJet has successfully completed IEnvA Stage 1 implementation, assessment and certification. The airline will be working towards the Stage 2 certification this year.
Jane Ashton, Director of Sustainability at easyJet, said: “We view sustainability as a holistic issue at easyJet, which ranges from addressing our direct carbon emissions from flying to mitigating the broader environmental impact from our operations. I’m very pleased that we are the first UK Low-Cost Carrier to be certified by IATA’s Environmental Assessment programme and we will now work towards our Stage 2 certification.”
Sebastian Mikosz, IATA Senior Vice President, Environment and Sustainability, said: “We are very pleased that easyJet has partnered with IATA and trust us to work with them to further improve their environmental management practices. easyJet’s recent IEnvA Stage 1 Certification bears witness of a solid commitment to achieving sustainability even during extremely challenging times for the industry.
Environmental sustainability is an existential challenge for the entire airline industry. IATA is proud to work with its airline members but also non-member airlines to introduce world-class environmental management practices to the aviation industry.”
EasyJet are committed to continuously assessing and addressing their impact on the environment, including direct carbon emissions from flying but also their broader environmental impact.
For example, they have already eliminated more than 36 million single-use plastic items used on their flights and continue to ensure that any residual waste is recycled as much as possible, while always looking for more ways to take action.
Recently the airline introduced new crew uniforms made from recycled plastic bottles. Forty-five bottles go into each outfit – with the potential to prevent 2.7 million plastic bottles from ending up in landfill or in oceans over the next five years. The garments are fashioned from a high-tech material that is made using renewable energy sources.
EasyJet are also addressing their direct carbon impact, joining the UN-backed 'Race to Zero' last year, committing to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and setting an interim science-based target for 2035.
The airline is the only major European carrier to offset the carbon emissions from the fuel used for all its flights on behalf of all its customers and works proactively alongside industry partners such as Airbus and Wright Electric, to champion zero-emission technologies for passenger planes of the future.
Operating the more fuel-efficient Airbus NEO aircraft, in everyday operations they are striving to reduce fuel consumption, for example through single-engine taxiing on departure and arrival and the use of advanced weather information to improve navigation performance.