Waste and circular economy

Avoid waste, conserve resources and reduce grey emissions: Zurich Airport Ltd. is committed to the circular economy, with a focus on the real estate sector.

Relevance

There is great potential to make a contribution to the circular economy through the extensive infrastructure of an airport, which consists of numerous buildings and civil engineering works as well as high material turnover in operations. The circular economy seeks to keep products and materials in circulation so that fewer primary raw materials are needed and less waste is generated. By creating and procuring durable, repairable and reusable products it is possible to slow down and reduce material loops. The second is then to close these material loops by reutilising materials.

As the building owner with a substantial annual volume of construction, Zurich Airport Ltd. has an obligation to contribute to the circular economy through circular construction, where the aim is to reduce the amount of grey emissions (greenhouse gas emissions generated during construction) and reduce usage of non-renewable materials. In the reporting year, the company made a clear commitment to this by joining “Charta Kreislauforientiertes Bauen” (the Circular Building Charter). Together with other major real estate owners, the charter’s founders seek to promote circular construction in Switzerland, an industry approach which is still in its infancy.

The focus when it comes to operation and maintenance continues to be on the careful use of resources and the recycling of materials at the end of their service life. This is due to the fact that airports generate different types of waste in various volumes. At the Zurich site, Zurich Airport Ltd. has formulated a waste concept that sets out the applicable principles, so all waste from the airport is recycled or safely disposed of in a lawful, economic and environmentally friendly way. Zurich Airport Ltd. collects the majority of waste produced by itself and its partners at the airport and sends it to appropriate recycling points. This includes a large amount of general waste, paper and cardboard, along with waste collected by aircraft cabin cleaners. Waste that is collected and disposed of by third parties (e.g. aircraft catering) is also included in the waste statistics of Zurich Airport.

At the sites abroad, the prevention and recycling of waste is also one of the high-priority environmental protection measures. At its sites in Chile, Brazil and India, the Zurich Airport Group attaches great importance to closing material cycles and avoiding the negative impact of waste on the environment by disposing of it properly.

Approach

As a developer and operator of infrastructure buildings, Zurich Airport Ltd. focuses on its construction activity – with its significant material flows and quantities of grey energy – from the perspective of the circular economy. As circular building is not yet established as a concept in the construction industry, the company is currently working on ways to ensure that grey emissions can be measured and therefore enable different concepts to be compared. Another focus is to define reduction targets and develop an action plan with measures to be implemented. In its role as the building owner, Zurich Airport Ltd. has a decisive role to play in helping sustainable concepts achieve a breakthrough. The best way to do this, such as using circularity and grey emissions as award criteria in tenders, is currently being tested and evaluated as part of specific projects.

When it comes to waste management, the principle of avoidance is the top priority. Zurich Airport’s waste policy therefore follows the basic hierarchy of: prevent – recycle – dispose of responsibly. Material loops are closed and material streams minimised wherever possible. In line with the originator pays principle, the costs arising from waste disposal are passed on to the producers to create a financial incentive for them to generate less waste.

Waste disposal principles are included in the general environmental protection regulations, which form part of the company’s tenancy agreements and licences for ground handling operations. Another document, the general waste disposal concept (GEK), governs construction waste at Zurich Airport and ensures its proper disposal.

The waste figures at Zurich Airport are calculated in line with the specifications of the German Airports Association (ADV), which allows figures to be compared over multiple years. Mineral waste from construction activities, antifreeze and organic waste from green maintenance are not included in these figures. The recycling ratio for the airport as a whole in the reporting period was thus 45.5%.

Most materials that cannot be recycled can be thermally utilised at the Zurich site. They can be burned in a waste incineration plant and the heat produced can be used to generate electricity or heat buildings in a district heating network. Non-recyclable waste is usually sent to the waste incineration plant in Hagenholz in Zurich, only six kilometres away.

During the reporting period, a total of 16,769 tonnes of waste was disposed of at Zurich Airport. This is around 8% more than in the previous year and thus correlated with the growth in passenger numbers.

Foreign subsidiaries

The majority-owned airports in Brazil have set themselves the goal of drastically reducing the volume of waste sent to landfill. In the reporting year, 84% of waste was no longer transported to landfill but placed in higher-quality disposal channels. Unfortunately, this meant that the target of 90% was not achieved. Nevertheless, the high rate marks a success that can be attributed to a two-pronged approach. For one thing, airport partners are given contractual obligations and financial incentives to separate their waste and reduce its volume. For another, the waste is separated into the different elements by hand with a great deal of effort so it can be sent to a disposal channel of a higher quality. Further efforts were likewise made to increase the recycling rate at the two airports in Chile.

Once Noida Airport in India commences operation, it aims to not send any waste to landfill at all.

Key data

Waste amount