Towards achieving targets set for our five-year Environment Strategy Roadmap, five Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are aligned to our efforts towards environmental consciousness:
GOAL 6: Clean Water And Sanitation
Improve water quality, ensure sustainable water withdrawals by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimising the release of hazardous chemicals while increasing the safe reuse and recycling of water.
GOAL 7: Affordable And Clean Energy
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy services for all and increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities And Communities
Provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all while reducing environmental impact arising from improved connectivity.
GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption And Production
Ensure sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources by reducing waste generation, promoting sustainable procurement practices and integrating sustainability into business practices.
GOAL 13: Climate Action
Take urgent action to combat climate change and strengthen resilience in responding to climate-related hazards and natural disasters.
Operating our airports with an environmental consciousness is vital for our organisation and several measures have been taken to support the SDGs:
Optimising Energy Consumption
Supported by our Energy Policy, our airports continue to benefit from the energy savings initiatives implemented as part of the Environment Strategy Roadmap. The initiatives have improved our electricity consumption efficiency since its implementation.
Despite a 6.93% year-on-year increase in total electricity consumption across all of our airports in 2018 compared to 2017, we managed to reduce our electricity consumption per passenger from 5.68 kWh/passenger since the implementation of our Roadmap in 2016 to 5.30 kWh/passenger in 2018.
We strive to not just improve our environmental performance but also to deliver an added value to the experience of our guests by providing an environmentally-conscious and eco-friendly journey through our airports.
Reducing Fuel Consumption
Daily activities at our airports require us to operate a fleet of vehicles which contributes directly to our Scope 1 carbon emissions. Measured against the growth of our passenger numbers, we have successfully reduced fuel consumption intensity per passenger across our airports in Malaysia (except STOLports) by 1.8% year-to-year to 0.0050 litre/passenger in 2018. This is despite a year-to-year increase of 0.67% in total fuel consumption in 2018 compared to 2017.
We continuously seek ways to manage the environmental impacts from the use of fossil fuel powered vehicles at our airports. In 2019, we introduced two electric vehicles (EV) into our fleet of vehicles at KLIA to replace our ageing and less-efficient petrol and diesel cars for our operations. These two new EVs reflect our environmental consciousness to reduce carbon emissions and optimise our operational costs.
Energy Saving Initiatives
Among energy savings initiatives implemented across our airports, the greatest energy savings was achieved by optimising 19 units of Ground Power Unit and the air conditioning in the baggage area and tunnel at both terminals in KLIA. In 2017, electricity consumption reduced by 1,137 MWh.
Increasing Use of Renewable Energy
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and the second terminal of KL International Airport, klia2 benefits from the use of renewable energy through its photovoltaic solar power system to provide clean electricity to KLIA and klia2. Since 2014, the solar power system has sustainably supported our operations by generating 93,096MWh worth of clean and renewable energy.
Minimising Carbon Emissions
We continue to demonstrate reductions in our Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon emissions at our airports. We also voluntarily participate in the Airports Council International’s (ACI) Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) programme which encourages us to follow a common, airport- specific and recognised framework to effectively manage our carbon emissions.
There are four levels of accreditation in the programme to reflect an airport’s maturity and success in its carbon management efforts. Our continuous efforts in energy savings, energy optimisation and sustainable practices have allowed KLIA and klia2 (KUL) to be recognised internationally as KUL is now certified at Level 3: Optimisation of the programme. To reaffirm our commitment to the environment and continue to reduce our carbon footprint, we are intending to renew this accreditation in 2019.
Green Building Recognition
klia2 was designed with sustainability considerations in mind to be an energy efficient terminal. Among the innovative green features of the terminal include the high solar reflecting roof and low emissivity glass panels to naturally regulate indoor temperature. This has earned the terminal Gold certification in Leadership Energy in and Environmental Design (LEED) and a Silver accreditation in the Green Building Index (GBI).
Conserving Water
Rain water harvesting and condensate water recycling are among the initiatives undertaken at klia2 in conserving water. Rainwater harvesting mitigates against flooding by diverting rainwater from impervious areas to storage tanks which will be used for sanitation purposed in klia2. Both initiatives allow efficient use of resources by repurposing and recycling collected water for use at klia2.
Promoting Recycling and Reducing Waste
Our recycling efforts are done with the objective of minimising the volume of waste disposal before being sent to the landfill. Our efforts to promote material recycling includes providing recycle bins and organising a public road show as well as an exhibition on recycling and environmental protection. We have demonstrated an increase in the recycling rate as a percentage from the total waste generated at KLIA & klia2. In 2018, 9.62% of the waste generated at KLIA & klia2 are recycled compared to 9.34% in 2017.
*This section must be read in tandem with the information provided in our Sustainability Report 2018