Silver Award from GIGI Awards for Sabiha Gökçen Airport's Zero Waste Project

İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport's (ISG) project “Some journeys have no return. Say no to plastic,” launched to raise awareness on environmental consciousness and sustainable living, was deemed worthy of the silver award at GIGI Awards 2026. The project, brought to life with transparent suitcases filled with plastic waste placed on baggage claim carousels, won an award in the Image and Social Responsibility field of the Event and Experience category.

Carried out within the scope of İstanbul Zero Waste Week, organized in cooperation with the İstanbul Governorship and the Zero Waste Foundation, the project turned the message of environmental sustainability into a part of passengers' daily travel experience. ISG's project, which aims to increase awareness on environmental consciousness, recycling and sustainable living, attracted attention with its creative communication approach.

GIGI Awards, organized by the Marketing Communicators Association and held for the 16th time this year, rewards projects focused on creativity, innovative ideas, implementation success and tangible impact.

Environmental Awareness on Baggage Carousels

The transparent suitcases placed on the baggage claim carousels on ISG's arrivals floor, filled with plastic waste left at the terminal, aimed to make the environmental effects of plastic pollution visible. Thanks to the installations prepared with the message “Some journeys have no return. Say no to plastic,” passengers' baggage waiting time was turned into an environmental awareness experience.

The project, to which ISG volunteers also contributed, drew attention to the amount of plastic waste generated by everyday items such as packaging, straws and water bottles for food and beverages consumed during travel. The application revealed the long-term environmental consequences of individual consumption habits with striking visuals.

Passengers were directed to the Zero Waste Foundation's corporate website by scanning the QR codes featured on the installations. Thus, the project supported access to information about environmental consciousness and recycling, in addition to visual awareness.

Also Featured at the Zero Waste Festival

The project, carried out in cooperation with Big'n Bold Creative, also met with visitors at the Zero Waste Festival held at Atatürk Airport on June 4-7 within the scope of Zero Waste Week. At the event, held under the coordination of the Zero Waste Foundation and the İstanbul Governorship, ISG conveyed its environmental sustainability messages to wider audiences with its stand at the festival area and the installations exhibited at the terminal.

The silver award won at GIGI Awards 2026 demonstrated the success of the project's communication approach, which linked a social and environmental issue to daily life.

Hanita Ahmad: “We Believe in Strengthening Environmental Awareness for a Sustainable Future”

ISG Executive Director Hanita Ahmad expressed her satisfaction that the project was crowned with an award, emphasizing the importance of sustainability and social awareness.

Ahmad said, “As Sabiha Gökçen Airport, we believe that a sustainable future is only possible by strengthening environmental awareness and increasing social awareness. The project ‘Some journeys have no return. Say no to plastic,’ brought to life by our team, offered a highly creative experience that addresses the permanent damage caused by waste left in nature through the concept of travel.”

Noting that the transparent suitcases placed on the baggage carousels made the environmental effects of plastic waste visible, Ahmad stated that the project went beyond a one-sided information effort and turned into an awareness application that passengers directly experienced.

Pointing out that airports are places that bring together millions of people from different age groups and lifestyles, Ahmad noted that they were happy to convey sustainability messages to wide audiences and that the project received an award in return.

İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary with the motto “A Quarter Century Together with Pride,” continues its efforts in the aviation sector with projects focused on technology, guest experience and environmental sustainability.