WASTE MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULARITY
Swissport is committed to reducing waste across all areas of its business, focusing on reducing, reusing, and recycling materials such as plastic, wood, and hazardous waste. We also engage in innovative waste management practices, including a closed-loop plastic recycling system in several European warehouses and the use of recyclable pallets made from cardboard to improve resource efficiency.
Our Global Environmental Manual also categorizes the various waste streams at Swissport, including glass, paper, plastic, general waste, organic waste, cardboard, metal, and hazardous waste. Additional segregation is applied where required by local legislation. Sorting and disposal are carried out according to these waste streams.
Swissport has specific procedures for the management of hazardous waste, including the provision of appropriate containers, proper labeling, and appropriate temporary storage away from water sources and municipal sewers until disposal. For fleet assets that have reached the end of their economic life, we ensure that they are disposed of in the most environmentally sound manner, either by sale or scrapping to prevent soil contamination.
Typically, waste management is provided by the airport. If no such service is available, we enter into maintenance contracts with local waste management companies to dispose of the waste.
waste management
OUR APPROACH AND MEASURES
Our Global Environmental Manual outlines our approach to waste management with a simple strategy:
- Reduce the waste we generate
- Reuse materials and items until they can no longer be used
- Recycle waste only after reduction and reuse options have been exhausted
local sourcing and waste reduction
SUSTAINABILITY IN OUR LOUNGES
Sustainability is a key focus in our Aspire lounges, where 90% are already free of single-use plastics. New lounges feature upcycled materials, LED lighting, and locally sourced products to reduce our environmental footprint whilst enhancing the passenger experience. By 2025, all Aspire lounges aim to eliminate single-use tableware and further reduce operational waste.
Our sustainable lounge practices deliver tangible benefits: waste reduction increases operational efficiency, upcycled materials lower environmental impact, and locally sourced products support regional economies. These initiatives align with our airline customers' environmental priorities and contribute to our broader Net Zero goals, demonstrating that premium passenger experiences and environmental responsibility go hand in hand.