CDA Highlights the Greening of Concessions During Earth Week

April 21, 2016

Like all City departments, the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) is committed to incorporating sustainable practices in all aspects of its operations.

That's why the CDA adopted a Green Concessions Policy on March 28, 2013. This policy is among the first of its kind in the airport industry and is another example of how O'Hare and Midway International Airports continue to serve as benchmarks for environmental stewardship. 

The policy provides concessionaires at Chicago's airports with guidance and standards for minimizing waste, recycling, and generating demand for eco-friendly products and providing healthier food options for passengers and employees.  

All 129 concessionaires operating at O'Hare and 47 operating at Midway, as well as all new concessionaires, must adopt the Policy's requirements to:

  • Ban polystyrene foam (Styrofoam) for all disposable consumer packaging
  • Ban all petroleum-based plastic bags, including trash and take-out bags
  • Ban all petroleum-based plastic disposable consumer containers and utensils
  • Source-separate all solid waste refuse into recyclables, compostables and refuse
  • Procure only green cleaning and hygiene products as well as soaps
  • Increase procurement of sustainable foods to a minimum of 20 percent of total costs by 2016
  • Procure recycled content paper for printing uses that has a minimum recycled content of 100 percent.
  • Donate surplus food to the greatest extent allowable by food safety regulations
  • Incorporate Sustainable Airport Manual (SAM) guidance and achieve a 'Green Airplane Rating.

This policy helps the CDA to achieve its waste reduction goal of diverting at least 50 percent of waste from landfills. It is also striving to prevent 8,000 tons of solid waste per year from being hauled to landfills through the use of compostable and recyclable products and through donations of surplus food.  

The CDA performs Green Concessions Policy  audits annually for all airport concessionaires, to continue to educate operators on how to incorporate sustainability as an element to enhance the passenger experience.  And the CDA sets higher goals each year.

The audits are also designed to certify the sustainability practices of the concessions and tenant activities in daily operations, in design and construction of new or remodeled facilities, as well as activities in the terminals and on other sites on airport property.