Metropolitan Airports Commission
31 Jan 2026
The 2023 Omnibus Transportation Bill passed by the Minnesota Legislature requires the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) to provide an annual report on climate mitigation and adaptation. The annual report is to include a summary of activities and evaluation of performance at the MinneapolisSt. Paul International Airport (MSP) in support of the MAC’s 2030 sustainability goals and a plan and timeline for the reduction of single-use plastics.
A requirement to include the MAC’s 2023 waste characterization study was published in the 2023 MAC Annual Sustainability Report. In its 2023 report, the MAC committed to including a decision on a single-use plastic water bottle ban in the 2024 report, following additional stakeholder engagement and research. This 2025 MAC Sustainability Report provides detailed information on each of these items and showcases the MAC’s industry-leading commitment to sustainability.
Highlights from 2025
- Added renewable energy through the Terminal 2 North Expansion project. Ground source heat pump wells and solar panels are projected to reduce reliance on grid electricity at a rate comparable to the electricity use of 121 average homes per year, for an annual savings of $140,000 on utility bills.
- Included requirements for sustainable packaging in new lease agreements to reduce single-use plastics in restaurants and concession spaces.
- Continued to phase replacement of vehicles and equipment with low or zero-missions alternatives – including seven electric vehicles and modern, more-effcient snow removal equipment – and installed telematics on all vehicles to improve effciency.
- Reduced restroom water usage by replacing aging toilets with more effcient models and harnessing rooftop water reclamation for toilet fushing in three major construction projects.
- Expanded restroom paper towel collection program to include most secure areas of MSP. Installed compactors for paper towels and concourse waste to reduce reliance on plastic liners for bins.
- Secured a new strategic partnership with Intuitive AI to add 10 additional Oscar AI sorting assistants at MSP to help travelers correctly recycle.
- Partnered with Pentair and Hope Hydration during Earth Month to distribute 2,000 reusable water bottles at MSP to people who signed a pledge to use a refllable water bottle and reduce waste. Refll stations were used 9.1 million times in 2025, an increase from 8.5 million uses in 2024.
- Formed a new employee engagement team called the Sustainability Squad, representing a wide range of functions across the MAC, which hosted numerous engagement opportunities in 2025.
- Continued exemplary participation in donation programs, such as Loaves and Fishes, donating 66,400 pounds of food in 2025, equivalent to 55,320 meals.
- Continued pursuing LEED® certifcation on four major projects currently under construction at MSP and the St. Paul Downtown Airport, totaling nearly 600,000 square feet.
