Sustainability topics
The Zurich Airport Group has to address a wide range of sustainability issues, but five topics are considered material.
The company first conducted a materiality analysis for its Integrated Report in 2021 to identify the scale of its economic, environmental and social impacts, not only at its Zurich site, but also at its majority-owned subsidiaries abroad. Every year the company reviews this materiality analysis and makes adjustments if necessary. No changes were made during the reporting year.
The impacts of the Zurich Airport Group can be summarised under 15 sustainability topic headings (see Overview of sustainability topics). These include both sector-specific issues such as safety and noise, along with general concerns such as climate change, biodiversity or human rights. All the sustainability topics 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. The existence of significant risks arising from business activities was likewise incorporated.
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 columns representing specific 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.
Environmental topics for the whole of Zurich Airport Ltd. at the Zurich site 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 Groupʼs strategic focus have been prioritised (see Strategy). For each of these topics, the company has defined actions to mitigate adverse impacts and enhance positive effects.
|
Topic |
|
Description |
|
Regional contribution |
|
Contribute to value creation and economic development in the region and to quality of life and locational amenity in general. |
|
Noise |
|
Reduce noise arising from aircraft and operations and protect residents against excessive aircraft noise. |
|
Climate |
|
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions and take measures to counter the impact of climate change at our locations. |
|
Occupational and aviation safety |
|
Protect employees, customers, passengers and visitors as well as the infrastructure against damage arising from accidents or criminal acts. |
|
Business ethics |
|
Act reliably, transparently and fairly towards business partners, competitors and authorities. |
Overview of material topics
A materiality analysis was carried out at each of the airports in Brazil and Chile during the year under review, using the 15 sustainability topics defined for the Group as a starting point. Interviews were conducted with internal experts and other people in key positions in the company, an online survey of external stakeholders was carried out, and a benchmarking exercise with companies in the same market was conducted. Internal and external documents were also consulted, for example guiding principles, reports, policies or media reports. The analyses thus produced a differentiated picture for each of the airports. As a result, targets specific to the individual issues identified at each location were defined which align with the ambitions of the Group as a whole.
