Amsterdam, 23 May 2023 – In our pursuit of global health impact, IDA Foundation (IDA) acknowledges the importance of responsible travel practices. In line with our (ISO14001-certified) Environmental Management System, IDA has looked at all of its environmental impacts and identified ways in which we can minimise our footprint.

Collaborating for greener travel

One aspect we looked at recently was the impact of our business travel. Visiting customers, suppliers and other stakeholders is a relatively small but essential part of our work. However, when virtual meetings are not possible, the traveling required has an impact on the environment. To ensure we critically review our travel decisions and choose the most sustainable travel options in each case, we revised our Travel Policy in 2023, and have been working with HumanitAir as our official business travel partner since 2021. Understanding the importance of our presence in target countries and the urgent travel needs of humanitarian aid workers, HumanitAir has made it their mission to provide safe and efficient travel solutions while also prioritising CO₂-reduction, and -compensation.

Through their agreement with the Lufthansa Group – followed by an agreement with KLM, HumanitAir has recently become the first travel management company in the Netherlands to purchase sustainable aviation fuel (SAF)*. In doing so, they have removed a portion of their CO₂ emissions by securing 11,668 kg of SAF in 2022 (thereby reducing 34,878kg CO₂). As a HumanitAir customer who shares their sustainability ambitions, IDA Foundation was allocated a part of this purchase through a certificate, totaling 1,667 kg of SAF. This allocation will result in an emission mitigation of at least 4,983 kg of CO₂ when compared to conventional (fossil) jet fuel.

Aligning with IDA's Sustainability Strategy

IDA focuses its strategy around three pillars: Purpose, People and Planet. Under the category of Planet, we actively address our environmental impact through our Environmental Management System (EMS - ISO14001). This system enables us to manage waste, assess emissions from goods transportation, and identify opportunities to improve our approach in collaboration with stakeholders.

Aside from this purchase of Sustainable Aviation Fuel, IDA Foundation has been offsetting all its business flights for several years already. Through HumanitAir, special sustainable energy projects are selected (by Climate Neutral Group). These projects reduce CO₂ emissions elsewhere in the world, and are selected to contribute to local populations and regions. They provide additional local benefits such as stimulation of the local economy and new employment opportunities, health improvements, knowledge transfer, and local environmental improvements.

A step towards a more sustainable future

Replacing conventional fuels with sustainable alternatives is one way IDA aims to use sustainable solutions to decarbonise our supply chains as well. Aside from our travels, we are also in discussions with freight forwarders to ‘inset’ alternative fuels to reduce our carbon emissions. This aligns with our strategic targets to minimise our CO₂ emissions throughout our supply chain.

We are dedicated to participating in similar initiatives, as they reinforce our commitment to sustainability. To learn more about our goals and sustainability approach, we encourage you to explore our Our Goals page and visit our dedicated Sustainability page.

For more information about this initiative or for other questions, please reach out to sustainability@idafoundation.org.

*About Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF): SAF are renewable fuels derived from biomass sources that can be used as an alternative to traditional fossil fuels in the aviation industry. They are designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the environmental impact of aviation.