Single-use cups will be disposed of by Air New Zealand.
Single-use cups will no longer be available in Air New Zealand’s lounges. The action is a component of the airline’s sustainability pledge, which also includes encouraging a more circular approach to waste management by reducing its initial production.
Chief Sustainability Officer of Air New Zealand Kiri Hannifin says the airline is well aware that getting off fossil fuels will be a bigger challenge than it initially thought.
“We still view this as our top priority and challenge, and we have a sizable work program in progress. But we need to step up the sustainability efforts we can take right now as the airline works through the many obstacles to find an aircraft with lower emissions or a more sustainable fuel substitute, adds Hannifin.
Every year, about a million single-use cups are used for hot beverages in lounges, and an additional nine million are used in our airplanes. Although most of these commercially compostable cups end up in landfills, there is a limited composting infrastructure in New Zealand that can handle them.
“Net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is one of our very ambitious sustainability goals at Air New Zealand. We must make major adjustments to our fleet and operations in order to move as far away from fossil fuels as possible.
However, we are unable to wait for these significant projects. Our carbon footprint is also increased by waste going to landfills. Eliminating single-use cups from our lounges is a positive step toward improving waste management, which is something we can control. Our actions, no matter how small, will lessen the airline’s environmental effect.
“We are aware that many of our patrons like sipping hot beverages from our lounges, particularly in the morning before an early flight. You can be sure that our clients will still be able to obtain
The rollout to New Zealand lounges* is scheduled to begin in Invercargill at the beginning of November and be finished by the end of January.
We at Air New Zealand are grateful for our customers’ support in helping us eliminate almost a million single-use cups from our waste stream.
