Japanese airline ANA will reduce the use of single-use plastics inside its cabins and lounges by replacing the plastic straws, stirring sticks and cutlery with eco-friendly materials from February 2020.
The airline said the stirring sticks, currently made from polypropylene and used in ANA’s cabins and lounges, will be replaced with ones made from wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international non-profit organisation aiming to “promote the responsible management of the world’s forests”.
From March 2020, cutlery made from polystyrene offered to passengers in economy class with meals served on international routes will also be replaced with wood certified by FSC.
Plastic straws used in ANA’s cabins and lounges made from polypropylene will also be replaced with bioplastic or paper from April 2020.
According to the airline, annual use of stirring sticks, cutlery and straws in its cabins, lounges and international economy class meals has reached 10.5 million, 1.8 million sets and four million, respectively.
As well as reducing the use of plastics, ANA has also collaborated with US-based biotech company Lanza Tech to develop more effective biofuels. The airline says 75.9 per cent of ANA Group’s fleet consisted of fuel-efficient aircraft models as of March 2019.
A number of other airlines have rolled out new initiatives in an effort to make flying more sustainable. Air New Zealand introduced plans in July to curb single-use plastic waste on its flights by removing plastic bottles and getting rid of individual plastic sauce packets.
Emirates also announced plans in June to remove around 82 million single-use plastic items from its aircraft, replacing items including inflight retail purchase bags with paper alternatives.