Gatwick says it’ll be carbon neutral by the spring after sticking to renewable electricity
Gatwick Airport has pledged to become carbon neutral by the spring, after teaming up with a global renewable energy alliance.
The airport has been purchasing 100 per cent renewable energy since 2013 and electricity now comprises 80 per cent of the airport's operational carbon footprint.
It said the remaining emissions will be offset by investments in international, national and local renewable energy programmes, as well as continued investment in energy and fuel efficiency.
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It is one of three companies joining the RE100 alliance at Davos for the World Economic Forum. The initiative, formed by The Climate Group, aims to accelerate the scale-up of renewable power, with the likes of Ikea, Apple, BMW and M&S among the members.
Gatwick's chief executive, Stewart Wingate, said: "We are serious about growing sustainably and we have some ambitious plans to develop in the most environmentally responsible way possible. We expect to see our world-first waste plant generating heat for our North Terminal this year and we are introducing an electric car sharing service, the first of its kind for a UK airport.
A set of rigorous environmental targets is driving our overall environmental performance and, despite a dramatic increase in our passenger numbers, I’m delighted to say that our environmental footprint is the same or better today than it was in the early 1990s despite our passenger numbers doubling.
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In October, Gatwick announced it was partnering with electric car-sharing firm Bluecity to roll out a new electric point-to-point car-sharing service at the airport.
French firm Bolloré runs the electric car-sharing scheme, which has already proved a hit with Parisians who pay as they go, with 3,600 Bolloré cars spread across the French capital.