Delta Air Lines has continued its efforts to reduce the presence of single-use plastics on board its aircraft and in Sky Clubs by finding alternatives for several products.
The airline has started removing plastic stir sticks, wrappers, utensils and straws from its aircraft and lounges. The move follows the carrier’s discontinuation of plastic wrap on cutlery in international Main Cabins in April and is expected to remove 300,000 pounds in plastic waste annually.
Instead of plastic, the airline will move to more recyclable alternatives such as bamboo and Birchwood for items such as drink stirrers. These options are already being made available in Delta Sky Clubs and will be seen on board aircraft from mid-2019.
Other moves being taken by Delta include the removal of plastic wrapping from Delta One amenity kits and reducing the use of polystyrene cups in the cafeteria of the airline’s headquarters in Atlanta in favour of compostable or reusable alternatives.
Delta also offers customers carbon offsets to curb emissions levels and says it aims to recycle as much waste as possible, among other corporate social responsibility programmes.
Christine Boucher, MD of global environment, sustainability and compliance at Delta, said: “We’re looking broadly at how we can adjust our sourcing and behaviours to have greater impact on the local and global communities where we live, work and serve. Reducing single-use plastics is a natural extension of the work we’ve been doing for years to lead the industry in efforts to reduce our impact on the environment...”
delta.com