Texan by Nature is excited to recognize Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) as a 2024 TxN 20 honoree for their leadership in conservation and sustainability. DFW Airport’s commitment to conservation, their projects, programs, best practices, and lessons learned are an example and inspiration for us all.

Honoree Industry and Size: Transportation – Mid

Honoree Name: Dallas Fort Worth International Airport 

Company Overview:
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is one of the world’s busiest and most connected airports. Centered between its owner cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, it serves as a major economic engine generating jobs and attracting businesses to the region. DFW is committed to providing exceptional customer service and has been named the best large airport for customer satisfaction in North America by Airports Council International. A leader in sustainability, DFW is the world’s largest and North America’s first carbon-neutral airport.

What is DFW’s conservation and sustainability mission and why is it important to your culture?
DFW’s vision is “Travel. Transformed.” and this extends to our efforts to advance DFW’s leadership in sustainability and expand the Airport’s positive influence. A key part of our approach entails proactively addressing our sustainability impacts across the organization – both within our 17,183-acre footprint and beyond our physical boundaries – noting the impact DFW has on the economic, social, and environmental quality of life of our neighboring communities. Our commitment to sustainability remains a part of DFW’s DNA and is embedded in our Strategic Plan, and we are continuing to engage our employees, customers, and partners in playing an active role as sustainability and conservation stewards. Our Sustainability Management Plan introduced our enterprise-wide approach to sustainability and sets ambitious, measurable goals around climate action, energy performance, circular economy, water and biodiversity, as well as social aspects of equity and health, safety, and wellness. We are committed to pursuing excellence in sustainability performance as a model for our region, state, the aviation industry, and beyond.

Water & Biodiversity is one of DFW’s six sustainability focus areas and includes an emphasis on habitat conservation, such as this waterfall hidden deep within the Airport property. Photo courtesy of DFW Environmental Affairs Department.

What steps is your company taking to address global natural resource challenges, and how are these efforts integrated into your overall business strategy?
Addressing conservation and sustainability is fundamental to our business success. Our Sustainability Management Plan establishes a foundation to ensure DFW remains a resilient operation.  Sustainability enhances our business strategy both through operational aspects such as improving efficiency, eliminating pollution, reducing waste of resources, and culturally by limiting our impact on local ecosystems and neighboring communities. A commitment to running a sustainable operation entails financial investment, but investments will pay off over the short and long term if we proactively anticipate the transformation that is needed. For example, DFW is located in a region of high water stress, which may be exacerbated in the future due to drought, therefore, many of our buildings are landscaped with drought-tolerant plants. Additionally, the Airport saves over 220 million gallons of potable water by using reclaimed water and withdrawals from our onsite lake for irrigation. Furthermore, our goal is to continue delivering the highest standard of service long into the future, and we recognize there is an operational risk in not investing in sustainability and climate resilience.

Who at DFW is leading your conservation and sustainability efforts and what are some examples of employee engagement in conservation and sustainability at your company?
Our Environmental Affairs Department establishes and implements DFW’s sustainability strategy, but DFW would not be able to achieve this success without cross-functional collaboration from internal departments across the Airport as well as external stakeholders and partners.  

DFW organizes several outreach efforts including:

• Earth Day: DFW’s annual Earth Day celebration is a hybrid/virtual event that runs the entire month of April. DFW scientists and engineers produce educational content linking Airport operations to broader environmental concepts such as stormwater runoff, indoor air quality, composting, and the heat island effect. DFW staff also create and send out STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) kits composed of lesson plans and science experiments. For Earth Day 2024, 20,566 students were reached through the STEAM kits and/or were engaged through onsite school visits from a DFW scientist or engineer. DFW also hosted an Employee Earth Day event to educate staff members through exhibits and discussion with Environmental Affairs Department representatives; 250 employees registered to attend the event.
• Speaking engagements to community organizations with a focus on environmental education and protection (Keep Grapevine Beautiful, Native Plant Society of Texas, North Texas Master Naturalists, Tarrant Transit Alliance)
• Wisdom Wednesday: Wisdom Wednesday is a monthly brown-bag educational webinar series for DFW employees.  Sessions have focused on composting and recycling, water and biodiversity, and the transition to zero-emission vehicles to protect local air quality. 
• Ongoing educational efforts across the campus focused on waste diversion.

What conservation and sustainability programs and projects does DFW lead and participate in?
One project is the Biodiversity Baseline Assessment. In support of our nature positive goal, DFW has taken an initial step of undertaking a biodiversity baseline assessment. This assessment quantifies and characterizes the biodiversity elements across our campus. Understanding our biodiversity baseline allows us to develop a strategy to achieve our nature positive target by providing the data to support ongoing protection and enhancement of the highest-value natural areas. Biodiversity is emerging as a crucial issue for airports and the business community. DFW has been a part of the regional landscape since 1974 and is located at the confluence of two ecoregions: the Cross Timbers and the Texas Blackland Prairies. The Airport was built on and around an existing natural infrastructure that provides valuable benefits to humans and other species. As the impacts of climate change become increasingly acute, and the population continues to grow, it is crucial that the infrastructure serving our communities does not compromise the value of biodiversity and ecosystem services. 

Another initiative is our composting program. DFW generates a substantial amount of food waste from its terminal restaurants, office kitchens, and onsite airline kitchens that prepare thousands of inflight meals each week. According to a previous waste audit, food waste represents roughly one-quarter of the waste generated in the terminals and is a sizable contributor to the Airport’s waste to landfill. Since the start of the compost program, DFW has steered approximately 1,000 tons of food waste away from landfills and transformed it into beneficial compost. DFW continues to grow this program each quarter, adding new terminal concessionaires and office buildings and educating business partners on the environmental and economic benefits of composting. Solid waste diversion (whether via recycling, reuse, or composting) is a key performance indicator for DFW Airport, and Airport personnel are given incentives to think creatively and increase our landfill diversion. DFW Airport remains committed to growing this program.

Another initiative is energy performance, with the Airport’s strategy to achieve clean and resilient energy focusing on four key areas: reducing energy demand, ensuring sustainable energy supply, investing in resilient energy infrastructure, and pursuing innovative technologies and partnerships. To support these key areas, the Airport has committed to the purchase of 100% of all electricity from renewable sources, including Texas wind farms, and continues to self-generate renewable electricity through a small onsite solar array. As DFW electrifies buildings and vehicles, the Airport is exploring how onsite generation and battery storage systems can be leveraged to manage peak demand, support grid stability, and improve resilience. Additionally, DFW’s Green Building Standards (GBS) require new construction and major renovations to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification and prioritize energy-focused credits.

“In 2023, DFW Airport experienced record-setting growth in passenger traffic, flight operations, and revenue amid new infrastructure development and innovation. Key achievements included the approval of a new Use and Lease Agreement, paving the way for the construction of a reimagined Terminal C and brand-new Terminal F, as well as the groundbreaking of an electric Central Utility Plant (eCUP) aimed at achieving net zero carbon emissions. These developments underscore the airport’s commitment to shaping the future of travel through sustainable and resilient operations while also emphasizing its role within the community and the aviation industry.”

– Sean Donohue, Chief Executive Officer, DFW Airport

What strategies does DFW use to educate and raise awareness among employees, customers, and stakeholders about the importance of conservation and sustainability?
In August 2023, DFW launched its inaugural BOOST Employee Innovation Challenge, a dynamic two-day event facilitated by DFW’s Innovation Department. This event empowered DFW Board employees to leverage their subject matter expertise, unique perspectives, and innovative ideas to tackle a specific issue. The challenge posed the question: ‘What innovative strategies can DFW Airport employ to dramatically increase waste diversion from landfills?’ Teams of employees collaborated to pitch their creative solutions, with the winning team developing a glass recycling program for terminal concessions. This program entered its pilot phase at the outset of FY2024, marking the initial steps towards implementation. We are actively expanding this initiative into a larger program to maximize its impact and effectiveness. 

Additionally, inspired by concepts presented during the BOOST Employee Innovation Challenge, the Employee Waste Challenge was created to enhance DFW Board employees’ awareness of their waste-generating actions and to inspire enduring behavioral and decision-making shifts towards waste reduction. Approximately 190 employees from 19 different departments actively participated, directly engaging with the initiative. The captured metrics revealed a significant positive impact on their awareness, understanding, and engagement in waste reduction activities, demonstrating the challenge’s effectiveness in fostering a culture of sustainability within our organization.

Employee engagement events, such as this Waste Sorting Challenge, spread awareness of DFW’s sustainability initiatives. Photo courtesy of DFW Environmental Affairs Department.

Where possible, DFW strives to protect native wildflowers, such as the Texas bluebonnet, at the Airport. Photo courtesy of DFW Airport.

Can you share specific examples of successful partnerships or innovative collaborations DFW has formed with other organizations to enhance sustainability and conservation outcomes?
DFW Airport collaborates with multiple organizations to advance sustainable initiatives, demonstrating our commitment to sustainability and conservation, as detailed below:

• DFW Airport partners with Clean Energy to transition its vehicle fleet to renewable natural gas from local landfills. Approximately 85% of the natural gas used in DFW’s fleet today is renewable. This initiative not only helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also lowers operations and maintenance costs. 
• DFW collaborates with American Airlines and other stakeholders to implement comprehensive waste reduction programs. These programs include recycling, composting, and exploration of waste-to-energy projects aimed at diverting waste from landfills and promoting a circular economy. 
• DFW works with local municipalities, including the Cities of Dallas and Fort Worth to implement water-saving technologies and practices. This includes using reclaimed water for irrigation, installing green infrastructure such as bioswales, and installing efficient plumbing fixtures throughout the Airport.

How does DFW quantify investment and return on conservation and sustainability?
As we implement our Sustainability Management Plan, we will be regularly tracking a set of key performance indicators relating to metrics including carbon emissions, energy consumption, energy sources, waste diversion, water reuse, and more. For each of the Sustainability “North Star” goals, DFW has developed a roadmap to implementation. These implementation roadmaps include a set of recommended actions that we must introduce in order to be successful. The actions included in the roadmap were vetted by individuals from various departments to align cost and level of effort with projected, quantifiable sustainability impacts.

This analysis resulted in a set of short-listed actions showing a favorable cost-to-impact ratio that DFW will pursue. Furthermore, the Airport will use a dashboard to track progress and ensure investments are resulting in projected impacts over time.

Trigg Lake, located on DFW property, plays a vital role in stormwater management. Photo courtesy of DFW Airport.

How do you see the future of conservation and sustainability evolving, and what role will DFW play in that progress?
Sustainability and conservation challenges, as well as the technologies available to address these challenges, are evolving at a rapid pace.  The ability to run a secure and resilient operation in the face of future knowns and unknowns will depend on our ability to be nimble and flexible in response to acute events and resource constraints. The aviation industry has proven to be resilient and nimble in challenging times, including DFW Airport. This resiliency will be key in adapting to future environmental challenges. 

As we move toward our 2030 and 2040 goals, we believe investing in technology and innovation will be key to effectively meeting our sustainability objectives. Tools such as digital twin technologies, for example, will allow us to test approaches and predict how the Airport will perform against a range of future scenarios to inform planning, operations, and design approaches. 

Further, improving our ability to track performance in real-time will allow us to be nimble and resilient in the face of a changing landscape and forthcoming sustainability challenges. DFW continues to innovate and lead the aviation industry in the adoption of sustainable business practices. Our enterprise-wide approach to sustainability management gives DFW the clarity and foresight to be proactive rather than reactive when faced with sustainability challenges. 

What is the one lesson that DFW has learned from your conservation and sustainability efforts that others can take back and think about applying within their own space?
To be a leader in conservation and sustainability requires the organization to be nimble, and to be able to iterate, adapt, and innovate. While we set targets for two decades out, none of us know what the world will look like in ten or twenty years, or what the most pressing issues will be. Therefore, we need to recognize that though we are creating a strategy to achieve our goals, we may not have the answers today. To be successful requires ongoing tracking of the evolving landscape and both the willingness and ability to change course in response. We achieve this in part through the commitment of our leadership and through active partnerships with technical innovators such as the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). We are also part of a supportive community within the aviation industry in which we share challenges and solutions around sustainability in effort to improve the performance of the industry as a whole. This non-competitive, collaborative approach has been fruitful and will continue to move the needle for us and our peers in the industry.

Why is Texas an important home or base of operations for DFW?
Over 50 years ago, the Cities of Dallas and Fort Worth came together to build an airport that will serve the region. Today, DFW Airport is the third busiest airport in the world for passengers and one of the most connected. The Airport’s central location allows for easy access to multiple business centers across the globe. DFW is just a four-hour flight from either coast in the U.S., has several international flights on nearly twenty international carriers, and serves as a key gateway to Asian and Latin American markets.

This is why DFW has committed to being a good steward of this public asset and serves as a key economic engine for the region. DFW is responsible for supporting over 634,000 regional jobs and over $38 billion in direct and indirect payroll.  In 2023, DFW welcomed approximately 80 million customers, which set a new record for the Airport. DFW Airport is proud to call Texas its home and is striving every day to deliver a memorable customer experience to all who travel through our doors. 

Find out more about DFW’s conservation and sustainability efforts here.