Oslo Airport achieves environmental certification

On Monday, 24 March 2014, Oslo Airport received a certificate showing that it is certified according to the internationally recognised ISO 14001 standard by DNV GL (Det Norske Veritas Germanischer Lloyd).

"A great recognition for our airport," says Nic. Nilsen, managing director of Oslo Airport. 

Developed by ISO (the International Organization for Standardization), ISO 14001 is an international standard for environmental management based on two concepts: continuous improvement and regulatory compliance. 

Reduces OSL’s environmental impact to a minimum The fact that OSL’s environmental management system is certified according to the ISO 14001 standard means that it is measured against a best practice standard and complies with it. Because certification is conducted by a third party, DNV GL, customers know they can rely on OSL’s diligent efforts to reduce the environmental impact of its activities, products and services to a minimum. 
“OSL is proud to be the first airport in the Avinor Group to achieve environmental certification according to the ISO14001 standard. Since it opened in 1998, the airport has had ambitious environmental goals, and for us, certification is a further confirmation of this,” says Nilsen. 

Long-term, continuous process OSL started the certification process with a status analysis by DNV GL in December 2010 and then decided to work towards getting its management system certified according to the ISO 14001 standard. The main audit was conducted by DNV GL in autumn 2013  and the certificate was presented on 24 March 2014. The certificate is valid for three years and DNV GL will conduct annual periodic audits starting in autumn 2014. 
“The process towards certification has been challenging and has entailed considerable efforts by employees who impact the environment in their daily work. We are pleased that we have now achieved our goal. It is also important to bear in mind that a certification is only the beginning of a long-term commitment, which will help us keep the "pressure on” over time,” says Nilsen. 

Impressed by OSL OSL has been focused on protecting the external environment ever since the airport was on the drawing boards. OSL is working systematically to reduce the environmental impact of its operations and also uses new technology and innovation to improve its performance. These measures include converting stored winter snow into cooling energy in the summer, the recovery of energy from wastewater and a pilot project to study the use of hydrogen as an energy source for vehicles at the airport. OSL has been certified since 2010 at the highest level of Airport Carbon Accreditation, a voluntary scheme to systematically reduce greenhouse gas emissions together with the players at the airport. 

“OSL is a well-organised, professional player and had many people on multiple levels involved in the certification process. Our audit managers found great openness and pride in the work that is done. OSL has a large fleet of equipment and many players at the airport. Given the extensive operations, regulations and permits, we are impressed with how OSL works systematically and professionally on its environmental impact,” says Karin Stensmyren Monsen, head of DNV GL’s certification unit in Norway.