Objectives and Improvements

Objectives for 2020 and results in 2019

Isavia has set itself nine objectives relating to social responsibility for 2020. The objectives are both long and short term. Objectives and related improvement projects were selected with reference to the nature and strategyof the company, comments from external stakeholders and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and related government priorities. Account was also taken of improvement opportunities linked to GRI aspects and to the company’s commitments to the ten principles of the UN Global Compact and to incentive programmes of which Isavia is a member. Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), an organisation within the aviation sector which aims to support sustainable growth, links the UN Global Goals to ideas for improvement projects for aviation companies. In addition, ACI (Airport Council International) has issued guidelines on sustainability paths for airports. The company also looked at priority aspects in this work.

The objectives for 2020 are linked to nine of the seventeen SDGs. The work involved a team of staff representatives from all parts of the company submitting ideas for objectives based on the operation of their divisions. Proposed objectives were submitted to the CEO and Executive Board for their approval and presented to the Board of Directors. The objectives and their links to the Sustainable Development Goals are listed below.

In 2018, Isavia set itself the objectives of equal pay for equal work and of increasing the number of women in third-level management positions. Isavia achieved accredited certification under equal pay standard ÍST 85:2012 in 2018 and met its goals of eliminating unexplained general pay discrepancies. In addition, the share of women in third-level management positions rose from 14% to 16%. For 2019, the company set the long-term goal of having equal gender representation in management positions before 2030 and the target of increasing the number of women in third-level management positions to 20% before 2021. There were three changes to job titles in 2019 and one man left the company, so by the end of 2019, the proportion of women in third-level management positions had reached 23%.

The long-term goal remains the same this year but is set for a shorter period. It is assumed that gender equality in management positions will be achieved before 2025. The sub-objective of the year is to “prepare a succession plan and an adoption schedule for such plan in 2020. Gender equality must be ensured therein.”

Changes were made to the parent company management in 2019 and in the first months of 2020, which means that there is now equal sex ratio in the second level of management. This action relates to SDG 5.1, which aims to ‘end all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere’, and 5.5, which aims to ‘ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making in political, economic and public life’. Efforts will focus on Indicator 5.5.2, which measures the proportion of women in managerial positions. The objective also relates to SDG 8.5 which assumes that by 2030, ‘full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men will be available, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value’.

Isavia also established an objective to train employees who are in direct contact with passengers to recognise human trafficking. The goal was achieved. The company’s educational department had a video prepared in consultation with the Chief Constable of Suðurnes. The video has drawn much attention, and the company’s stakeholders have also been able to take advantage of it.

The company set itself the long-term goal of strengthening efficient monitoring of Isavia’s procurement in 2019. The target was to adopt procurement rules and follow-up on the codes of conduct of the company’s suppliers. The goal was not achieved and remains a work in progress. The long-term goal will remain unchanged, while the number of targets are increased to two, i.e. that the number of registered suppliers at the beginning of 2020 who have signed the supplier code of conduct will increase to 50% before the end of the year and that there will be references to the code of conduct and social responsibility in all invitations to tender and contract documents issued by the consolidated company.

This links up to Target 12.7, which aims to ‘promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities’.

The company has a long-term objective to reduce carbon emissions by 2030 and works according to a detailed plan to achieve this objective. The goal is unchanged from the year before, with the exception that a progress figure for 2025 was established. The target is to reduce the use of fossil fuels in the operation of Isavia by 4% per passenger between years. This has remained unchanged in recent years.

In 2018, progress was achieved as regards the long-term goal when the reduction of greenhouse gases in operations reached almost 40% since 2015. The target was not achieved, and there was a 1.5% decrease in the use of fossil fuels per passenger. There was a further reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases in 2019, and the percentage of reduction since 2015 has now reached 46%. The overall fuel use of the company was reduced, although the use per passenger increased by 18%. The increase can be trace to the considerable reduction in the number of passengers during the year.

The climate goal is linked to Target 13.2, which pushes for the ‘integration of climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning’ and Target 7.2 which calls for the ‘substantial increase of the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2030’.

The company set a new long-term goal this year which relates to further strengthening awareness within the company of the importance of social responsibility. The target for 2020 is to educate management about the field to increase their understanding of social challenges and provide guidance on good working practices.

The goal relates to Target 8.9, which states that ‘by 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products’. There is also a link to 12.6, which encourages ‘companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and to integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle’. Finally, there is a link to Target 13.2, which pushes for ‘the integration of climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning’.

Isavia established a new long-term goal involving an increased focus on good services to the customers of the company. The target for 2020 is to complete the analysis, formulation and development of actions relating to customer journeys.

The goal is linked to Target 9.1 to develop ‘quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and trans-border infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all’. In addition, the goal relates to Target 8.9, which states that ‘by 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products’. Finally, the goal relates to Target 17.17, which encourages ‘effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships’. Their implementation will be based on experience of collaborative projects in general, and resourcefulness is paramount.