The Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur group, which has continually been striving to improve its environmental policy for more than 20 years, has taken an essential new step towards achieving its goal of full net zero emissions, without any offset, by 2030. The award of the new Airport Carbon Accreditation level 4+ certifies the reduction of the absolute value of the Group’s emissions, while the Golfe de Saint-Tropez airport has already become the first airport in France in a position to claim net zero, without any offsetting.
Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur has made a firm commitment to achieving net zero emissions, without any offset, by 2030, which is 20 years earlier than the worldwide commitments made under the terms of the Paris Agreement. In 2018, the Group was the first in France to receive the Airport Carbon Accreditation level 3+, which certified its carbon neutrality by offsetting its residual emissions. In 2020, the Group started its reforestation operations directly on the site of the Golfe de Saint-Tropez airport, and in the municipalities adjacent to the Cannes-Mandelieu and Nice Côte d’Azur airports. This unique operation in France has created natural carbon sinks capable of absorbing up to 300 tons of CO2 equivalent per year as the trees grow.
Finally, a decisive step was taken between 2018 and 2019, when the three airports succeeded in reducing the absolute value of their direct emissions: -4.4% for Nice, -20% for Cannes-Mandelieu and -27% for Golfe de Saint-Tropez. Despite the growth of traffic, emissions have been cut and absorption has been increased directly in the surrounding region. The Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur group has now become the first airport group in France, and the second in Europe, to receive the brand new, and more demanding, Airport Carbon Accreditation level 4+.
Since the Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur group took control of Golfe de Saint-Tropez in 2013, the airport has slashed its direct emissions by 62%. In 2020, the airport’s residual emissions totalled less than 17 tons, as a large-scale operation was launched to reforest 1 hectare of woodland, representing the capacity to absorb almost 30 tons of CO2 equivalent. These actions enable the airport to achieve net zero emissions carbon-neutrality without any offset, and to ultimately absorb part of the emissions from semi-cruising aircraft.
