Schiphol’s sustainable strategy

Jabine van der Meijs, CFO & Executive Vice President, Royal Schiphol Group, shares Schiphol's vision for the future, and the actions the airport has taken to ensure its future.

Schiphol’s vision for the future (00:08)

“Our mission is connecting the Netherlands. Our ambition is to operate the world’s most sustainable hub”, van der Meijs stated.

To achieve this, Schiphol is focussing on improving their quality of network, the quality of life, and quality of service.

The 4 pillars of Schiphol’s sustainable strategy (01:23)

Energy positivity. While Schiphol is currently climate neutral, and is on the course to achieve zero emission, the ultimate goal is to go beyond zero, and realise an energy positive real estate portfolio.

Circular economy “lowers environmental impact; it creates opportunities for new business models, and it reduces the need for natural resources and materials for economic growth”, van der Meijs told us.

Sustainable aviation. The aviation industry’s reliance on fossil fuels calls for radical breakthroughs and investment, and Schiphol is a supporter of this future.

Communities are at the centre of Schiphol’s key vision: to connect the Netherlands. So creating value for passengers, employees, and neighbouring communities is at the top of the agenda.

Integrating sustainability into corporate strategy (03:36)

“We believe our success is not only about financial performance, but also about what we deliver, and how we do that”, van der Meijs said.

5 out of 8 KPIs are built around Schiphol’s key stakeholders: the airlines, local residents, passengers, employees, and shareholders. But everyone involved with the airport will help delivering on the rest of the KPIs: safety, network, and sustainability.

Sustainability initiatives implemented at Schiphol (04:51)

Already, Schiphol has been running on 100% wind power provided by Dutch wind farms on- and off-shore. The airport is also investing in on-site renewable energy, mainly solar, while the new buildings will be built as energy neutral.

Schiphol is also conscious of building zero emission transport links. For example, they have over 681 zero emission taxis, and are investing in more electric platform buses.

Changes in airport charges structure (07:16)

To encourage airlines to use cleaner and quieter aircrafts, Schiphol devised a new airport charges structure in April 2019.

“The new structure effectively provides a discount rate for more sustainable aircrafts”, van der Meijs told us.