Etihad Airways has announced plans to cut usage of single-use plastics across the organisation by 80 per cent by the end of 2022.
As part of this commitment the carrier this week operated a flight without any single-use plastics on board, “in a bid to raise awareness of the effects of plastic pollution”.
The flight took place between Abu Dhabi and Brisbane on Earth Day (April 22), with Etihad claiming to be the first airline in region to operate a service of this nature.
The carrier identified over 95 single-use plastic products used across its aircraft cabins, which once removed prevented over 50kg of plastics being sent to landfill.
Amenities were replaced with eco-thread blankets, recycled plastic bottles, tablet toothpaste and edible coffee cups.
By June 1 of this year Etihad has committed to removing “up to 20 per cent” of single use plastics on its flights, and says that by the end of this year it will have removed 100 tonnes of plastics from its inflight service.
A number of airlines have introduced measures to reduce waste on flights, with Delta announcing a phasing out of single-use plastics on its aircraft and in executive lounges, and Austrian Airlines partnering with Vienna Airport and oil and gas company OMV to turn used plastic cups into crude oil.
And Airbus recently unveiled a new cabin trolley concept aimed at making it easier for airlines to recycle cabin waste.