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Air New Zealand trialled the removal of single-use cups on six domestic flights last week, to explore how the airline can deliver your much-loved hot drink at 30,000 feet, without the waste.
The airline recently removed all single-use cups from its New Zealand lounges, but Air New Zealand chief sustainability officer Kiri Hannifin says doing this inflight is a much greater challenge.
“Removing nearly one million single-use cups each year from Air New Zealand lounges was a great start, and we’ve had a really positive response from customers who understand why this was an important move. But we’ve got a further nine million single-use hot beverage cups being used each year on our aircraft, plus millions more plastic water cups.”
“Removing waste in an aviation environment comes with its challenges. Infrastructure to support waste reduction can vary from airport to airport, country to country and the need to operate flights on schedule is paramount.”
Air New Zealand is currently in the process of setting new waste targets to support its work towards a more circular economy.
“Designing and procuring with a circular mindset right at the outset avoids waste in the first place and is the optimal starting point. We are excited to see how we can make inroads onboard our aircraft,” says Kiri.
Single-use plastics have long been a global concern due to their impact on the environment.
“While the airline is very focused on how it can decarbonise, avoiding waste is something it can do right now,” says Kiri.
“Reducing carbon emissions from flying is our greatest challenge, and we are under no illusion about how critical it is to transition away from our reliance on fossil fuel. However, much of decarbonising aviation is reliant on new technologies, policy support, and sustainable aviation fuel becoming more available. That’s why we’re also looking at things that impact our natural environment such as waste, which is much more within our control.”
The trial took place on March 26-27, on flights across Air New Zealand’s domestic network.
The knowledge gained from customer feedback, operational logistics, and impact will help to determine the viability of implementing the initiative in the long term.
During the trial, customers were still able to experience the much-loved Air New Zealand beverage service, with the airline encouraging customers to bring a reuseable cup or providing one for them to use during onboard service.
