Christophe Pele-Guillemain on Turning Airport Sustainability Ambitions Into Operational Action

For airports, sustainability now reaches far beyond carbon emissions alone. Waste, water, biodiversity, surface access and resource efficiency all influence how terminals operate and how resilient they will be in the years ahead. Christophe Pele-Guillemain brings an environmental NGO perspective to the practical changes airports can make today.

How does your work connect with the airport and passenger terminal sector?

I am President of Ecoscience Provence, a French environmental NGO that has worked for 20 years across circular economy, waste reduction, sustainable consumption, biodiversity protection and responsible tourism. We are involved in several European-funded projects that support greener airport operations through lean sustainable processes and the Reduce-Reuse-Recycle label, including HORIZON STARGATE, HORIZON A4Climate, LIFE Tripl-Air and INTERREG REDU-CE-D.

What motivated you to speak at the launch edition of Passenger Terminal Expo Asia?

Ecoscience Provence is one of the few environmental NGOs working at the intersection of environmental transition, circular economy and airport transformation through European initiatives. We see the event as an opportunity to exchange practical experience and help turn sustainability ambitions into operational reality.

Airports across Asia are growing rapidly while also needing to accelerate their environmental transition. I wanted to share concrete lessons from European projects and take part in an open discussion about how airports can become more efficient, resilient and environmentally responsible without compromising the passenger experience. I am also keen to connect with leaders, operators and innovators who believe sustainable aviation infrastructure must be built now, rather than treated as a distant ambition.

Which practical themes will your session cover?

I will begin with the context of “flygskam” and why visible, concrete action matters for airports. I will then look back at where the sector stood around COP21 in 2015, including early progress in areas such as BIM and electrification.

The session will also draw on practical experience in encouraging more sustainable ground access to airports, applying circular economy principles inside terminals, reducing residual waste, protecting biodiversity and lowering water use. Finally, I will discuss how environmental management systems are already helping airports and how they can be used to drive further improvement.

Why are these topics especially relevant to the Asian market?

Asia combines two powerful dynamics: some of the fastest passenger growth in the world and rising expectations that infrastructure expansion must happen more sustainably. Passenger terminals are no longer viewed solely as transport buildings; they are ecosystems that affect energy use, mobility patterns, resource efficiency and the overall passenger journey.

This gives the region an opportunity not only to meet future demand, but to build differently from earlier generations of airports. The actions I will discuss are practical measures that can already be introduced and measured in day-to-day operations.

What conversations are you hoping to have at the event?

Asia has an opportunity to progress quickly by applying lessons from Europe and other markets while developing its own approaches. I want to show that sustainability is not simply an additional constraint, but a driver of resilience, operational excellence and long-term competitiveness.

I am particularly interested in conversations that test ideas against the realities of running passenger terminals. I look forward to sharing European project experience, learning how these approaches can be adapted or improved in Asia, and engaging with airports, regulators, airlines, technology providers and civil society. Meaningful progress comes when these groups work together to support aviation in becoming more sustainable rather than treating environmental objectives and aviation development as opposing goals.

Hear Christophe Pele-Guillemain share practical European lessons on circular economy, environmental management and sustainable terminal operations at Passenger Terminal Expo Asia.