Sustainability topics
The Zurich Airport Group addresses a broad range of sustainability issues, focusing on five key areas in particular.
The company first conducted a materiality analysis for its Integrated Report in 2021 to identify its economic, environmental and social impacts, not only at its Zurich site, but also at its majority-owned subsidiaries abroad. This analysis was conducted in accordance with the 2016 Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards in force at the time. Since then, the GRI has published revised standards which came into force in 2022. The company consequently reviewed its materiality analysis during the reporting year and made some adjustments where necessary.
15 sustainability topics were again identified where the Zurich Airport Group has an impact. These include both sector-specific issues such as safety and noise, along with broader concerns such as climate change, biodiversity or human rights. The name of one of the topics was changed in German in order to define it more precisely: “anti-corruption” is now referred to as “corruption prevention” (Korruptionsprävention) in the German version. In the English version, we have retained “anti-corruption” as the title.
The 15 sustainability topics identified were assessed in relation to the significance of their impacts. Each of the topics was quantitatively evaluated, with the five having the highest scores being deemed material. Wherever possible this was done along the entire value chain to include both upstream and downstream processes. Many experts from various divisions across the group were involved in the process of identifying and evaluating the topics. The viewpoint of stakeholders was taken into account both as estimated by experts internally as well as on the basis of specific feedback.
The following diagram shows all the sustainability topics identified, grouped into circles representing local, environmental and social impacts:
Overview of sustainability topics
The five topics that are material for the Zurich Airport Group are listed with a brief description below. They are described in greater detail together with related key data later in the report. A management approach is also explicitly stated as required by the GRI Standard.
The environmental topics are recorded and managed in an environmental management system that complies with international standard ISO 14001:2015. This management system was set up in 2001 and is audited every year.
While all 15 sustainability topics identified are considered important, the five topics that have been classified as material and pertain to the group's strategic focus have been prioritised (see Strategy). For each of these topics, the company has defined actions to mitigate adverse impacts and enhance positive ones. Where not yet defined for the other topics, specific targets will be formulated in the coming years and progress continually monitored.
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Topic |
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Description |
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Regional contribution |
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Contribute to value creation and economic development in the region and to quality of life and locational amenity in general. |
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Noise |
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Reduce noise arising from aircraft and operations and protect residents against excessive aircraft noise. |
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Climate |
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Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and take measures to counter the impact of climate change at our locations. |
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Occupational and aviation safety |
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Protect employees, customers, passengers and visitors as well as the infrastructure against damage arising from accidents or criminal acts. |
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Business ethics |
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Act reliably, transparently and fairly towards business partners, competitors and authorities. |
Overview of material topics
