Internship: Reducing Waste and Environmental Impact of Test Bags in Airport Baggage Handling Projects

Internship: Reducing Waste and Environmental Impact of Test Bags in Airport Baggage Handling Projects

Assignment type: Internship

Start date: February 2026

Assignment duration: 6 months

Location: Veghel

Education level: Bachelor/Master

Desired study: Industrial Engineering, Sustainability, Environmental Science or related

Language: Dutch/English

Description of assignment

During the installation and testing of baggage handling systems at airports, Vanderlande uses large quantities of test bags to simulate operational conditions. These bags are typically discarded at the end of each project, often ending up in landfills or incineration, contributing to environmental waste and project costs.

This internship aims to investigate and reduce the environmental and financial impact of test bags used in airport projects, by exploring alternatives, improving reuse strategies, and validating feasible solutions with project teams.

What you will do:

• Investigate the annual volume, sourcing, and end-of-life destination of test baggage used in airport projects, as well as the technical requirements.
• Estimate the financial cost and environmental impact (CO₂e) of the current practices for the coming years.
• Ideate and assess potential solutions, with input from project execution teams, to evaluate feasibility and impact.
• If possible, develop and test a prototype of the preferred solution and document recommendations for implementation.

Department description

In Vanderlande we have a dedicated pool of people spread across departments that drives the sustainability transformation in our company. You will be part of the department responsible for Vanderlande’s Airport business and work closely together with stakeholders from other departments, like our corporate sustainability office, project teams, supply chain and installation teams. You will also get the opportunity to talk to customers and waste processing company.

Tasks/responsibilities

• A comprehensive report including:
• Current state analysis
• Cost and CO₂e impact estimation
• Proposed solutions and feasibility assessment
• Presentation for internal stakeholders
• Prototype or pilot plan (if applicable)

Your profile

• Strong analytical and communication skills
• Interest in circular economy and operational efficiency
• Comfortable working with cross-functional teams
• Good communicating in English, both in writing and speaking
• *Mandatory enrolment to a Dutch Education System & resident of The Netherlands.

For more information, contact us by e-mail: internship@vanderlande.com.