Single-use plastics are problematic for the planet. They're the leading cause of plastic waste and many can take between 20 and 500 years to degrade, but one Spanish airliner has done its part to remove them from the equation.
Iberojet. Credit: Simlinger / Shutterstock
Biodegradable and reusable alternatives have replaced plastics for the firm's catering services. Credit: Simlinger / Shutterstock
Iberojet has banned the use of these plastics in its in-flight catering and replaced them with alternatives made from compostable and other reusable materials.
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This is the result of more than two years' work, bringing it in line with International Air Transport Association (IATA) policies on waste and energy efficiency.
Since 2021, the airliner claims to have reduced the consumption of single-use plastics in its operations by around 36 tonnes per year. One main way it accomplished this was by doing away with plastic meal trays, instead opting for biodegradable table cloths and reusable plates.
Plastic cups and glasses have been replaced with cardboard equivalents, and plastic cutlery has been traded in for utensils made from wood and vegetable fibres, alongside plates. Plastic dessert holders were also phased out entirely.
In addition, the airliner claims to have cut down on the use of paper on-board its flights by around 3 tonnes per year. To this end, the company has replaced paper magazines and menus with a QR code that can be read from a cell phone and a digital menu available for consultation from the passenger’s seat screen, respectively.
In addition, all ticket sales are not entirely digital, with customers now receiving them via an email invoice or requesting them on its website.
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Alongside its waste reductions as part of the IATA's regulations, the extra weight reduction on takeoff, the airliner's planes now emit fewer emissions.
“Iberojet’s main objective is to play a leading role in the airline industry’s environmental strategy," Iberojet's general manager Antonio Mota said.
"We are carrying out an ambitious plan aimed at reducing the environmental impact of our operations, which involves a long series of specific actions, such as the reduction of plastic and paper on our flights.
"Iberojet’s commitment to sustainable aviation is one of the fundamental pillars of the development of the Ávoris airline and forms part of its positioning in this area as one of the leaders in the sector," he added.
Single-use plastics are often being phased out in favour of cardboard, paper or metal alternatives.
The EU banned single-use plastics in July 2021 in a bid to stop one-time use plastic waste entering the world's oceans.
Read more: What to know about the EU's single-use plastics ban
Despite plastic recycling being on the increase in Europe, many schemes that involve making reusable plastics focus on ways of recycling the plastic once the consumer has finished with it, eliminating the concept of "single-use."
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