TIACA launches sustainability programme for the first time in air cargo sector

June 19, 2019: To support sustainability in the air cargo industry, the International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) has signed a long-term partnership agreement with CHAMP Cargosystems. TIACA is establishing a new working group to define and deliver for the sustainability programme.

The concept and growing importance of sustainability is everywhere in our current society and is defined through the following interconnected domains or pillars: environment, economic, and social. One of the highlights of the project is launching a yearly Air Cargo Sustainability Award, starting at TIACA's executive summit (ES) later this year. The main objective of the competition and the TIACA Air Cargo Sustainability Award is to generate ideas and appreciate and stimulate sustainability initiatives in the air cargo sector.

The winner will be announced in November 2019 in Budapest, Hungary. The recognition will be on a global level and it will be organised for the first time in the industry.

To accomplish that, TIACA and CHAMP will work with members, partners, and industry representatives to establish a common vision on sustainability. Together they will develop, promote, and support several campaigns to tackle challenges connected to the three pillars of sustainability.

"Sustainable development means being able to meet the business needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to find solutions to their own commercial challenges,” stated Steven Polmans, incoming chairman of TIACA and director cargo and logistics at Brussels Airport Company.

He added, “In the aviation and air cargo logistics sector, in common with all parts of our society, sustainability has an increasingly important role to play.

"The development of long-term strategies and investment to achieve a sustainable industry is key to guaranteeing the future of air cargo and TIACA, as the only organisation representing all sectors of the supply chain, is in a unique position to drive that development.”

A sustainability committee will be created by TIACA. Its role will be to act as a working group, which will build the programme and monitor delivery of the initiatives. The association has pledged to organise at least one panel discussion or presentation focused on sustainability at each of its events.

“CHAMP Cargosystems is extremely pleased to establish this sustainable initiative in partnership with TIACA,” commented Arnaud Lambert, chief executive officer (CEO) at CHAMP Cargosystems. “Our commitment stands to jointly create a programme that will have a positive global outcome − first for society and then for business. Sustainability is a subject often considered in the development of our IT solutions like CO2 emission calculator solutions, integration, or paper-free solutions for the air cargo business but is definitely not limited to this only. We are looking forward to defining and implementing strategies for achieving positive and substantial results in Optimising our Environmental Footprint (OEF) and minimising logistics-related emissions or waste, for example.”