Type to search

Logistics News

Dubai: dnata advocates recycling, projects AED13mn savings

dnata has reduced waste generated from its ground services equipment (GSE) by 110 tonnes, and the company says it is on track to reach its 250 tonne waste reduction target for the year. The air service provider has ramped up its recycling programme for its fleet of 12,000 units of GSE in both of its Dubai hubs – DXB and DWC.

Since the launch of the recycling programme this year, over 80 units of GSE have been renewed at the GSE maintenance base, reducing waste generated. The projection for 2017 is an estimated 140 pieces of GSE being recycled, saving the company approximately over AED13mn ($3.5mn), and reducing waste by 250 tonnes.

GSEs are typically replaced as they reach the end of their life cycle. However, dnata has found that most GSE simply require a mechanical overhaul to be put back into service, and doing so can extend the lifespan of equipment by up to 18 years. The dnata GSE maintenance facility, located at DXB airport spans 36,000 sqm and employs 1,145 dedicated team members who carefully check the GSE for any faults before replacing parts that need renewing.

Gary Chapman, president, dnata, commented: “Our reality is that sustainability is necessity, not a choice, and at dnata, we endeavour to meaningfully fulfil our environmental responsibility wherever we operate. We are extremely motivated by the success of our GSE recycling programme in Dubai. It provides us with a tangible way to reduce our carbon footprint at the source, rather than carbon offsetting as a way of merely clearing the corporate conscience.”

He added: “It has been rewarding to see the impact of this initiative, and it is the start of many initiatives dnata has in the pipeline to bring about a change in the way we use resources, in our effort to promote sustainability. We are getting creative and innovative when collaborating with our equipment suppliers, to seek more environmental efficiencies for our fleet,” he added.

Other initiatives for a greener operation also include the conversion of all forklifts in dnata’s cargo operations to electric. Out of a fleet of 102 forklifts in Dubai, 73 are electric, the rest being diesel powered. The plan is to replace all current diesel forklifts by the end of 2017 with electric alternatives. This will reduce the carbon footprint at dnata’s cargo operations by 80%, generating a fuel savings (consumption) of 200,000 litres per year, and CO2 emissions reduction of 47 tonnes per year. Globally, over 300 pieces of environmentally-friendly electric tow trucks, forklifts, conveyor belts, and push back tractors are in dnata’s operations today, a number on the rise.

In May 2017,  the full leadership team of dnata in Dubai replaced their fleet of company-provided vehicles with Lexus hybrid cars supplied by Al-Futtaim. Of the senior executives in the leadership team,  21 drive a hybrid car with 50% lower CO2 emissions compared to regular vehicles in the same category, resulting in fuel savings of 1,200 to 1,500 tonnes over five years.

Tags: