Doha and Kigali airports will be the first to trial a new set of environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) reporting standards, which are being developed by Airports Council International (ACI).

To kick off the initiative, ACI World has selected Netherlands Airport Consultants (NACO) and Dutch firm To70 to create a standardized framework for airport ESG reporting.

ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said the two consultancy firms will look at existing reporting mechanisms used by ACI members, consolidating these into a unified approach.

The consultants will also involve the finance community in the discussions, to develop “a comprehensive, enduring framework.”

“By building bridges between carbon-reduction roadmaps and an airport-specific standard for ESG reporting, we will assure airports can obtain the green investments needed to reach Net Zero Carbon by 2050 or before,” To70 Director Ruud Ummels said.

The framework will give airports guidance to implement, review and monitor ESG within their operations, taking into account different legal and regulatory requirements, at the national and regional levels. The initiative builds on the ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation program, which is ACI’s carbon management certification program for airports.

During a second phase of the project, NACO and To70 will develop an ESG framework for Doha’s Hamad International Airport, Qatar, and Kigali International Airport, in Rwanda. “This will serve as a pilot and further refinement of the ESG Global Framework before it is released for wider application,” ACI said.

ACI represents 1,925 airports in 171 countries.