Emirates obtains IATA Environmental Assessment certification

(Image: Supplied by Emirates)

UAE carrier Emirates has obtained IATA Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) Stage One and the IEnvA Illegal Wildlife Trade module certifications.

Emirates has implemented Stage One of the core scope of IEnvA comprising flight operations, corporate activities, as well as an illegal wildlife trade module.

On the subject of illegal wildlife trafficking and exploitation, the airline is already a founding signatory to the Buckingham Palace Declaration and member of the United for Wildlife Transport Taskforce, convened by The Royal Foundation.

Emirates SkyCargo, the airline’s cargo arm, has a zero-tolerance policy on illegal wildlife trade and a complete ban on hunting trophies for the Big 4.

In addition to Emirates SkyCargo employees, wildlife awareness training has also been extended to employees in passenger services, including cabin crew, Emirates airport services and the Emirates group security team.

Sheikh Majid Al Mualla, Emirates’ divisional senior vice president of International Affairs, said, “In addition to initiatives such as our recent closed loop recycling programme and demonstration flight powered with 100 per cent sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), we are committed to robust environmental management systems and to driving real change both within our own operations and across the industry.”

Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s chief economist and senior vice president of Sustainability, added, “Stakeholders, including governments, financiers and business partners will know that Emirates is not just meeting global standards and best practices on sustainability, but is committed to continuous improvements to stay at the forefront of sustainability. We look forward to working together with Emirates to achieve our common goal of reducing environmental impacts, fight against illegal wildlife trafficking and enhancing social responsibility.”

As part of its sustainability initiatives, earlier this year, the airline committed US$200 million – disbursed over a period of three year – to fund research and development projects focussed on reducing the impact of fossil fuels in commercial aviation.

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This article originally appeared on Business Traveller Middle East