Today is Earth Day. I actually think we should rename it Human Day. The earth, well the earth will be fine. It made it through the ice age, the meteor that murdered the dinosaurs, and the yacht rock era. Earth was here before humans, Earth will be humming right along after humans have gone and the age of the mosquito is in full swing. It’s we humans who actually have the most to lose from climate change. I won’t bore you with a litany of how that happens, but best of luck buying an insurance policy in Florida these days.

Airports, as a huge user of energy and resources, are in a prime position to make a material dent in climate change. As the aviation industry navigates growing pressure to meet sustainability goals, airports and concessionaires have a unique opportunity to lead. By embracing smarter, greener operations, they can not only align with ESG expectations—but also reduce long-term costs and improve operational resilience.

Here are five strategic levers to drive sustainability in airport concessions while protecting the bottom line:

1. Get smart about energy

Energy efficiency upgrades—like LED lighting, high-efficiency HVAC systems, and motion-sensor fixtures—are often the lowest-hanging fruit. But the next frontier is smart grid integrationand sub-metering. Airports that provide granular energy data to concessionaires can help tenants identify inefficiencies, incentivize better performance, and reduce shared utility costs across terminals. Airports can not only share the data, they can structure lease agreements to incentivize efficiency and share in the savings. BWI Thurgood Marshall’s Sustainability plan follows many of these guidelines:

https://marylandaviation.com/environmental/sustainability/sustainability-plan-2/

Bonus: Local, state, or federal incentives can often offset upgrade costs.

2. Transition to Greener Packaging and Sourcing

Single-use plastics and Styrofoam are rapidly becoming obsolete. Concessionaires can lead with compostable or recyclable alternatives that are increasingly cost-competitive. The challenge, of course, is that bottled water is one of the highest grossing and most profitable items for airport operators. Finding a consumer-friendly solution will be necessary in the long run and further innovation will be needed. Partnering with vendors that prioritize local, sustainable sourcing also lowers transportation emissions and supports regional economies. As airports and travelers increasingly see value in local and familiar brands (Airports like BNA and Portland are great examples), a win-win exists here to serve both travelers and local business.

Tip: Airports should consider establishing baseline sustainability standards for all new leases to level the playing field and reward innovation while being careful to avoid being so onerous they discourage small business participation.

3. Optimize Waste Management and Diversion

Landfill costs are rising, and waste audits often reveal that much of what ends up in trash could be recycled or composted. Installing color-coded bins, digitizing back-of-house waste tracking, and requiring vendor participation in composting programs can significantly reduce waste tonnage and hauler fees. Used cooking oil (UCO) programs that harvest cooking grease and convert it to jet fuel can provide concessions programs with additional revenue while saving significant costs. Innovative companies like Sustainably.so identify a single stream (in this case the plastic film that wraps boxes coming into the distribution center) and recycles the material into decking.

Smart Practice: Offer incentives (e.g., rent discounts or marketing support) for top-performing tenants that meet waste diversion targets.

4. Embrace Data-Driven Facility Management

IoT and AI tools now enable concessionaires to monitor everything from walk-in cooler performance to HVAC runtime and water usage. These systems help detect equipment issues early, prevent spoilage, and minimize downtime—all while reducing energy consumption. When partnered with solar generation and batteries, airports can not only create energy, they can save money by allocating peak time usage and storage. Emerging technologies like liquid air storage have the potential to unlock grid scale capacity suitable for an airport. (https://news.mit.edu/2025/using-liquid-air-grid-scale-energy-storage-0410)

Key Advantage: Predictive maintenance reduces emergency repair costs and extends equipment life cycles.

5. Collaborate Across the Ecosystem

The most impactful sustainability wins come from collaborative planning between airports, master concessionaires, and subtenants. Joint sustainability committees, tenant training programs, and public-facing green certifications (like LEED or TRUE) elevate standards and enhance the airport’s reputation with passengers and regulators. Engaging with the local community’s university and start-up ecosystems can also discover and implement new technologies and best practices

Forward-Thinking Airports: Are tying sustainability to concessions program design, scoring proposals not just on financial return, but on environmental and social impact.