The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched its Integrated Sustainability Program (ISP) at the IATA World Sustainability Symposium in Hong Kong.
ISP is a certification programme offering airlines a comprehensive sustainability management and assessment framework. It is designed specifically for airlines and built on the successful IATA Environmental Assessment (IEnvA).
IATA Senior Vice President for Sustainability and Chief Economist, Marie Owens Thomsen, said the programme validated that an airline was managing its sustainability efforts at the highest level and in the broadest context.
“It does this by integrating the monitoring of environmental, social, and governance measures and providing all stakeholders, regulators, and customers with a transparent view of the progress,” said Owens Thomsen.
“This comes with the added value of being designed for airlines’ specific needs, making ISP a practical framework to inform decision-making while ensuring that airlines’ efforts are aligned with global best practices.”
According to the association, along with certification, the programme includes training, consulting, assessments, guidance and tools in four critical modules: environmental management, sustainable procurement, social responsibility, and sustainability performance. ISP certifications and modules can be pursued individually or as a fully integrated sustainability programme. Certifications are subject to a recurring two-year cycle of independent assessments.
The four ISP modules include:
• Environmental Management: By incorporating ISO14001:2015 principles the programme enables organisations to assess their environmental footprint systematically, manage compliance obligations, and develop targeted management plans for emissions, waste, water, noise, biodiversity, and pollution. Airlines already certified under IEnvA will be incorporated under the ISP framework, with the option to take up additional modules/certifications.
• Sustainable Procurement: The ISP brings ISO20400:2017-aligned sustainable procurement standards to aviation. This empowers organisations to evaluate and improve the sustainability of their supply chains and the goods and services they buy across environmental, social, and governance dimensions.
• Social Responsibility: The ISP integrates ISO26000:2010, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and OECD guidelines into a certifiable framework to help organisations map social risks and opportunities. These encompass establishing customer protection and service, human rights due diligence processes, driving continuous improvement in community engagement and investment.
• Sustainability Performance: This programme allows airlines to measure and monitor their environmental, social, and governance performance. Following the new ISP framework will support transparent reporting and informed decision-making in line with evolving organizational, regulatory, customer and investor ESG ambitions and requirements.
At the WSS in Hong Kong it was also announced that Air New Zealand and EVA Air are the first two carriers to receive the Sustainable Procurement certification under the ISP.
“As New Zealand’s national airline, we’ve always had a responsibility to help our people and communities thrive,” said Kiri Hannifin, Air New Zealand Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer.
Hannifin said sustainable procurement “means building on the collective strength and innovation of our supplier network, and working together to create better outcomes for people and the planet”.
“By backing IATA’s new ISP, we want to play our part to help lift standards across aviation, and demonstrate that doing what’s right is about doing good business.”
EVA Air Chief Sustainability Officer, Jason Liu, said the certification marked a key milestone in the company’s sustainability journey, reflecting its commitment to integrating sustainability into procurement and collaborating with partners to build a more resilient supply chain.
IATA added that the programme would evolve over time as the association worked with stakeholders to ensure industry standards, guidance and certifications remained practical and impactful.
At present, ISP is only available to airlines. However, it will evolve to ground handlers, cargo handlers, airports, MROs, and caterers.
