All Nippon Airways Holdings (ANA HD) has announced it will begin reducing the amount of single-use plastics inside its cabins and lounges, replacing them with more eco-friendly alternatives.
From 1 February 2020, drink stirring sticks will be replaced by wooden versions, followed by new wooden cutlery replacing the former polystyrene tools in international Economy class from March.
Lastly, from April 2020, plastic straws will be replaced with either ‘bioplastic’ – which is typically made from renewable biomass sources such as vegetable fats and oils or recycled plastic bottles – or paper.
ANA HD has already adopted emission mitigating practices as part of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSAIR) and is working with LanzaTech to develop biofuels. It also purchased 70,000 US gallons of sustainable aviation fuel. As of March this year, 75.9 per cent of the group’s fleet consisted of fuel-efficient aircraft models.
The group is also working with environmental experts to develop plans on how best to reduce single-use plastics, mitigate climate change and address illegal wildlife trafficking.
“ANA HD is committed to building on its strong record of environmental leadership by adopting policies that will prepare us to meet the next generation of challenges,” said Ito Yutaka, executive vice president. “We have already made significant strides in our efforts to make ANA HD a more sustainable company, and reducing the use of plastics is another crucial step that we can take to keep moving forward. Protecting our shared home is central to ANA HD’s vision of a better-connected world and we will continue looking for opportunities to make our products and services more eco-friendly.”
ANA was recently included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for the third consecutive year.
ana.co.jp