As part of this year's EMAS Environmental Management Conference, Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler honored Salzburg Airport. Salzburg Airport has been an EMAS and ISO 14001 certified company for 26 years.
On November 5, sustainability was the central theme at this year's cross-border EMAS conference at the renowned Parkhotel Schönbrunn in Vienna. The highlight of the event was the joint presentation of the 2024 Environmental Management Awards and the honoring of EMAS pioneers by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Protection and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety, and Consumer Protection.
“In addition to the best EMAS companies in both countries, Federal Minister Leonore Gewessler also honored the pioneers in the field of environmental management systems in Austria. Our airport has already been EMAS validated and ISO 14001 certified in a pilot project from the 1990s,” said airport managing director Bettina Ganghofer, delighted with the prestigious award. The Austrian companies Mahle Vöcklabruck GmbH and Kanzian Engineering & Consulting GmbH were also honored as EMAS pioneers. "It is important to set an example and maintain a consistent course toward sustainability. It is a path of small steps, and every now and then a bigger one is taken. The key is to persevere, even over decades. This is part of our strategy, which we have been implementing for many years. Within this framework, we have set ourselves a major goal as a ground infrastructure provider – net CO² neutrality by 2040," Ganghofer continues.
At the environmental management conference, EMAS companies from Austria and Germany were honored in three categories: Best Environmental Statement, Best Measure in Environmental, Nature, and Climate Protection, and Best Strategy for Sustainable Corporate Development. In line with the conference motto—Successfully Managing Sustainability: From Obligations to Opportunities—high-profile speakers gave presentations on current topics in environmental management.
In her presentation, the president of Caritas Austria, Nora Tödtling-Musenbichler, focused on corporate social responsibility. The second exciting topic was presented by Josef Baumüller from the Vienna University of Technology : Which obligations form the foundation of European sustainability regulations? Baumüller made financial figures exciting to talk about and explained that they will play a very important role in corporate reporting in the future. Following the practical reports from EMAS and Ecolabel companies, the EMAS award winners were honored by Federal Minister Leonore Gewessler and German Parliamentary State Secretary BMUV Bettina Hoffmann. The crowning finale was the presentation of certificates to the Austrian EMAS pioneers, companies that have been participating in the EMAS management system as registered environmental companies for more than 20 years.
