Cambodia’s three international airports have achieved an upgrade to Level 2 under the Reduction of Airport Carbon Accreditation Programme, the only voluntary global program for greenhouse gas emissions reductions at airports launched in 2009 by Airports Council International (ACI).
The programme, independently administered and verified, has four levels of certification including Mapping, Reduction, Optimisation, and Neutrality. The successful accreditation at Level 2 results from the successful reduction of Scope 1 & 2 CO2 emissions at the airports in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville and the subsequent introduction of a carbon management plan to address these emissions. The carbon footprint obtained at Level 1 was used as a starting point to control and reduce the airports’ impact on their environment. Initiatives deployed include streamlining electricity use at the airports, phasing out old vehicles and sorting of waste.
This new level of certification is a recognition of the VINCI Airports’ global environmental policy called Airpact, which establishes goals for its airports based on its commitment to the preservation of the environment. It also recognises the airports’ actions to manage and reduce CO2 emissions and rewards a multi-annual effort to control and reduce their carbon footprint. The next step will be to apply for Level 3, Optimisation, which requires the airports to widen the scope of action to include their partners in the carbon reduction efforts.
Alain Brun, CEO of Cambodia Airports, said, “this additional step in the Airport Carbon Accreditation Programme demonstrates the long-term commitment of Cambodia Airports for Environmental protection. It is in line with VINCI Airports objectives, the first international group to commit all its airports to excel within the Airports Carbon Accreditation Programme. Today, all of them have been continuously certified at different levels.
“We congratulate the airports in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, operated by Cambodia Airports, for reaching Level 2 Reduction in the Airport Carbon Accreditation Programme,” said Stephano Baronci, director general ACI Asia-Pacific. “As one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, we commend Cambodia Airports for taking a sustainable approach to growth.”