The SEA Group is strongly committed to providing quality services in respect and protection of the environment, based on the following principles:
- extensive compliance with regulatory requirements;
- an ongoing commitment to improving the environmental and energy performance;
- education and involvement of all actors involved in the airport system for a commitment towards respecting and protecting our common environmental heritage;
- priority given to the purchase of products and services which adopt similar environmental sustainability parameters, with particular attention to energy saving, the reduction of atmospheric and noise emissions and water conservation;
- identification of sources and controls of CO2 emissions produced, both direct and indirect, through the involvement of the stakeholders, in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Kyoto protocol;
- a constant level of monitoring and verification of the processes related to the energy, atmospheric emission, noise and water cycle aspects, and in general the various phenomenon concerning interaction with the ecosystem;
- a highly developed system of listening and communication with a wide range of external actors to ensure transparency and sharing.
The introduction of the Group environmental policy is based on the commitment to a dedicated structure which ensures maximum attention to the principal strategic aspects and the operating implications, in addition to guaranteeing the daily inter-departmental involvement of all organisational units whose activities have a direct or indirect impact on the reaching of the environmental objectives.
Under this policy in 2004 an Environmental Management System was drawn up, which in 2006 achieved the ISO 14001 Certification, which was reconfirmed in 2009, in 2012 and with renewal in 2015 for the subsequent three-year period.
In July 2017, SEA passed the TUV Italia test, maintaining therefore its certification.
With a view to a constant and close monitoring of the environmental impact of its activities, the SEA Group works together with a number of external bodies with environmental and regional responsibilities.
The range of environmental aspects managed is particularly extensive: water, air, noise, climate change, energy, waste, electromagnetic fields, light pollution and landscape.
The extensive experience matured since 1998 with the incorporation of SEA Energia and its cogeneration (regeneration) plant has seen the formal consolidation in October 2013 of the Energy Management System of SEA and its ISO 50001 certification by CertiQuality. The current action is undertaken for improved integration between the different certification systems.
Airport Carbon Accreditation and Carbon Neutrality of the Milan airports
SEA in relation to CO2 emissions has acted effectively in reducing emissions and in particular those from activities under its direct control or in which significant influence is exercised (scope 1 and 2). This is confirmed by the 2017 renewal of SEA’s classification of “Neutrality” level with regards to Airport Carbon Accreditation.
The Airport Carbon Accreditation offers four possible levels for accreditation:
- Mapping – checking of emissions under the direct control of the airport manager (scope 1 and scope 2 application field).
- Reduction – in addition to the level 1 (Mapping) requirements, creation of a plan designed to reduce emissions, focused on the continual minimisation of emission levels (scope 1 and scope 2 application field).
- Optimisation – in addition to the level 1 (Mapping) and 2 (Reduction) requirements, the calculation of the airport emissions of the stakeholders and their involvement in the drawing up of an action plan (scope 3).
- Neutrality – in addition to levels 1, 2 and 3, the reaching of the “Carbon Neutrality” objective for emissions under the direct control of the airport manager (scope 1 and 2) with the acquisition of offsets.
- Scope 1 – Direct emissions – Emissions associated with sources owned or under the control of the company.
- Scope 2 - Indirect Emissions - Emissions associated with the generation of electricity or thermal energy acquired or consumed by the company, which is physically emitted within the corporate scope.
European project
The involvement of the company in the international research and innovation project environment was further developed, principally focused on environmental and safety/security issues. The projects introduced in 2017 are summarised below:
- TRANSFORMING TRANSPORT is a project where the Kick-off Meeting took place in Madrid in the first six months of 2017.
- DS-08 is a proposal regarding cyber security, safety and the environment.
- TALOS, focuses on issues of future safety/security (in conjunction with the Milan Polytechnic Foundation).
- THESEUS is an innovative risk-based model to minimise vulnerabilities as well as a new method for monitoring safety/security (in conjunction with the Milan Polytechnic Foundation).
- Further research was carried out to draft new proposals concerning territorial engagement and the management of an environmentally sustainable plan for handling the transport of goods.
Outlined below is a summary of the projects launched in the previous years which are still ongoing, or projects which ended in 2017:
CASCADE: an important energy-management project, completed in 2015.
DREAM: The project was completed in 2017. The project focuses on the issue of energy, principally involves Malpensa and was undertaken to optimise consumption and to involve the various sources, including also, naturally, SEA Energia.
WATERNOMICS: a project launched in 2014 to improve the water cycle in Linate airport and which recently came to a close.
OCTAVE: a project launched in June 2015 focusing on the security processes in biometric screening (vocal). This project is in its final phase.
Environmental management process
Master Plan Linate 2030: December 2016 saw the completion of the SIA (Environmental Impact Study) and also the preparation of the documentation to include voluntary additions by the SEA formally delivered to ENAC (National Civil Aviation Authority), who subsequently forwarded it to the Ministry of the Environment.
Master Plan Malpensa: all the activities on topics concerning nature/fauna, noise and air pollution, in addition to activities managed by the appointed bodies to conduct research on hydrogeological-and aquifer topics have now ended.