As Canada's air navigation service provider, we are mindful of the impact we have on the industry, on our communities, and on our planet. Sustainability is embedded in our Shared Purpose and Strategic Direction, and we harness safety, innovation, expertise, and partnerships to help enable emissions reductions and social benefits within our company and across the industry.
NAV CANADA’s not-for-profit corporate governance model empowers us to make decisions that reflect a holistic view of Canada’s aviation industry. Our board of directors brings together stakeholder representatives and independent directors to ensure a balance of interests at the table. This gives us unique opportunities to keep sustainability – environmental, social and economic – central in our operations.
We’re not on this journey alone. As we measure and manage our impacts and shared value, we are turning to the international community for best practices and making our targets public through commitments and reporting.
NAV CANADA took a major step forward in 2022 by joining the UN Global CompactOpen a new window. We are committed to the Ten PrinciplesOpen a new window, and to regular and transparent reporting on our progress.
The Global Compact framework is informing the development of our ESG Strategy while shaping and leveraging best practices that will reduce environmental impacts and ensure social responsibility and strong governance.
As a Global Compact member, we provide updates on our Global Compact commitments through an annual Communication on Progress. These reports are available hereOpen a new window.
To form the basis of our sustainability approach, we leveraged and assessed the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), evaluating which were most relevant to NAV CANADA’s business and operating context.
This exercise, called a materiality assessment, ensures that we consider our opportunities to both generate positive impacts and mitigate negative ones.
NAV CANADA supports all 17 SDGs, and from our materiality assessment results we have narrowed our focus to six key sustainable development goals in which we can have the most impact with a particular focus on SDGs 10 and 13.
We are committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the aviation sector to ensure a sustainable and viable future for the industry. In addition to our own operational emissions, we are enabling emissions reductions for our customers through improved Air Traffic Management (ATM), as outlined in Canada’s Aviation Climate Action Plan.
GHG emissions associated with our operational footprint fall into three categories:
In 2023, our total overall GHG emissions sat at 90,594 tCO2e. Scope 1 emissions accounted for 14% of that total, while Scope 2 and Scope 3 represented 18% and 68%, respectively. More specifically, the main contributors to Scope 1 and 2 emissions were the powering and heating of our area control centres, towers, buildings, and communications, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) equipment. For Scope 3 emissions, purchased goods and services represented the bulk of our value chain emissions. To ensure accountability of our emissions inventory, NAV CANADA uses the widely accepted GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard to calculate Scope 1 and Scope 2 along with the Corporate Value Chain (Scope 3) Standard for Scope 3 calculations.
The behaviours and business practices of our supply chain are an important part of NAV CANADA’s environmental and social impact.
As part of our overall Supply Chain Management Strategy, environmental criteria and standards are incorporated into our sourcing initiatives and bid evaluation process. This helps us to assess the environmental impact of purchased goods and services, and to more effectively collaborate with our suppliers to minimize these environmental impacts.
Learn more about our commitment to sustainability through supply chain management.
As part of our sustainability approach, NAV CANADA takes seriously our commitments to collaboration with other jurisdictions. Our participation in international forums helps us to better understand our customers’ needs, learn from our counterparts, and give voice to our interests on a global scale.
Sustainable Aviation Task Force (SATF)
As a signatory and supporter of Canada’s Climate Aviation Action Plan, NAV CANADA is participating in the associated Sustainable Aviation Task Force (SATF)Open a new window. We currently contribute to the Emissions Reductions, Airport Operations, and the Operational Measures subgroups.
ICAO Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP)
NAV CANADA is an active participant on the Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP)Open a new window, a technical committee of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council that assists in formulating new policies and adopting new Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) related to aircraft noise and emissions, and more generally to aviation environmental impact. We currently contribute under Working Group 2: Airports and Operations.
CANSO Environment Workgroup
The Civil Air Navigation Services Organization (CANSO) Environment WorkgroupOpen a new window aims to help support the implementation of operational procedures and technologies in the ATM environment and seeks to address challenges such as the integration of emerging and future airspace users, sustainable aviation, and improved airspace efficiency and capacity.
Through this workgroup, NAV CANADA is collaborating to identify and promote procedures and planning that will reduce unnecessary aircraft emissions through improved operational efficiency and reduce aircraft noise. The deliverables support ANSP modernization and environmental efficiency improvements using documented metrics and performance data.