Delta Air Lines is following its Aussie codeshare partner, Virgin Australia, down an environmentally-friendly path by scrapping single-use plastic from its aircraft & lounges.
As part of the green initiative, Delta Air Lines will remove more than 300,000 pounds (136,077 kg) in plastic every year, which FYI is more than the weight of TWO Boeing 757 aircraft.
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Plastic removal will include all single-use stir sticks, wrappers, utensils and straws. This is in addition to the elimination of unnecessary plastic wrapping from Delta One amenity kits and the reduction of Styrofoam in Delta’s Atlantic cafeterias, both of which were done in April this year.
Additionally, the carrier has formed a Youth Advisory Council that’ll look at other ways for the carrier to minimise single-use plastic and introduce other sustainability initiatives.
Although Delta’s plastic plans won’t be rolled out overnight, the airline said flyers would have already noticed bamboo drink stirrers and birch air sticks being used in the Delta Sky Clubs. Compostable straws will be available in the club for customers upon request, while non-compostable plates, bowls, utensils and buffer dishware are currently being replaced with compostable alternatives.
The airline’s amenity kits will no longer have plastic outer wrappers, and other alternatives will be introduced in-flight and on the ground from mid-2019.
Delta’s Managing Director for Global Environment, Sustainability and Compliance, Christine Boucher, said the aim is 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.”
Christine Boucher, Delta Air Lines Managing Director for Global Environment, Sustainability & Compliance
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