IATA’s Environmental Assessment (IEnvA) program has been busily expanding its reach in recent years. Since the pandemic, the number of organizations certified has grown more than 25% annually.
Quintin Holder, IATA’s Senior Manager Sustainability Standards and Audits, says the reason behind this growth is the impressive results airlines are generating in reducing noise, emissions, waste, and pollution. “Yes, IEnvA is a certification and audit program about environmental awareness but having certified airlines is not our primary goal. We want to improve environmental performance. IEnvA is functional and provides practical ways forward.”
This practicality led to the expansion of IEnvA to other aviation stakeholders, including airports, cargo handlers, and ground handlers. This not only allowed an alignment of initiatives at particular locations but also saw an uptake among airline partners even where airlines are not participating.
“It has led to a virtuous circle where stakeholders are pressuring each other to make environmental improvements and IEnvA is the way to achieve that,” says Holder.
Moving to sustainability
Despite this robust environmental platform, the world has moved on to and now talks in terms of sustainability. This encompasses a number of elements beyond environmental responsibility, which are typically encapsulated in Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) space.
Work has therefore been ongoing to have IEnvA recognized by ESG rating companies. “Nine out of 12 now accept IEnvA as being ISO 14001 equivalent or better,” says Holder. “That is a crucial development as it means certified organizations don’t need to do ISO audits as well. And it also satisfies many financial institutions, improving organizations’ access to green financing.”
But this is just the beginning. IEnvA is being built out to include three new sets of standards and guidance, using industry-specific and external best practices.
First up is sustainable procurement. The aim is to get interested parties trialing the initiative later this year with a rollout in early 2025. Procurement is a complicated process involving myriad players, but organizations need to know that all the goods and services they procure do not involve an unnecessary environmental impact or related sustainability issues.
“For aviation, this won’t happen overnight because it is a huge area,” says Holder. “But that also makes it the correct next step. We will put globally accepted standards in place to serve as a baseline. It will simplify the procurement process and enable airlines to identify the right partners based on their unique situation, location and stakeholders.”
Second, IATA is working on standardizing some key performance indicators for sustainability. Again, sustainability is a multi-faceted term that can cover multiple concepts, all of which may be interpreted differently. It will be important to agree on and then measure and monitor the key components that will ensure meaningful sustainability tracking and progress.
The third area—and arguably the most complicated of all—is people. Social responsibility has no international standard like ISO 14001, so IATA is studying how an extension of IEnvA can incorporate sustainability from a human resources perspective. As a global association, IATA has an array of ideas and cultures to consider but is intent on providing baseline standards by the end of 2025.
How it will work
Holder accepts that IEnvA has a lot going on, but he stresses that organizations seeking certification will not be asked to undergo multiple audits or dedicate more resources than is already the case.
“We take a modular approach,” he explains. “Not all organizations will want to include every module in their certification, so they can pick and choose. It won’t be mandatory to do the full suite and it will still be one integrated audit. Certification lasts two years, so an organization can simply ask for their next audit to include environmental awareness and sustainable procurement, for example. We will work to ensure we have a pool of auditors to carry out whatever combination of modules an airline asks for.”
Crucially, this will enable organizations to take a strategic approach to their sustainability initiatives and plan out their improvements in key areas, gaining certification when they deem it appropriate. Moreover, IATA will continue to provide and improve the tools and training that highlight best practice and allow organizations to gain their IEnvA certification.
“This really is a community,” Holder concludes. “We listened to what our members wanted. We involved other stakeholders and now we’re moving to encompass broader sustainability, sharing best practice as we go. For us, this is not about certification. It is practical help on sustainability no matter the resources at your disposal.”
For more information: https://www.iata.org/en/services/certification/ienva/
