In an effort to assist airlines, regulators, and the airline supply chain in reducing the environmental effect of single-use plastic products (SUPP), the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released the "Re-examining Single Use Plastic Products in the Airline Sector" paper. To address the adverse effects of single-use plastics in aviation and promote genuine change, the industry must coordinate its efforts and take proactive steps as it moves towards sustainability.
By Shreya M
International Air Transport Authority (IATA) is a regulatory body whose purpose is to lead, serve and represent airline industry and formulate rules and regulations. It represents over 320 airlines or 83% of all air travel, It’s a trade group for airlines worldwide.
The airline industry faces hurdles in optimizing cabin waste management and transitioning away SUPP due to its strength, light weight and compliance with safety standards. Moreover, airlines encounter obstacles related to technology, operations, and the absence of uniform, risk-focused regulations. This regulatory gap hampers efforts to enhance recycling and circularity in waste management, hindering progress towards more sustainable cabin operations.
This article offers insightful information at a crucial time, as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is calling for the creation of a globally legally enforceable agreement on the use of SUPP by the end of 2024.
Partnership across the aircraft supply chain is crucial to bringing about circular economy concepts, decreasing waste, and enhancing material recovery through the substitution of SUPP.
‘Airlines are taking a comprehensive approach to sustainability that includes addressing the environmental impact of SUPP. The recommendations of this report will help airlines, regulators and the supply chain manage the complexities of reducing SUPP. This includes finding alternatives to SUPP, creating a harmonized regulatory framework, and promoting sector-wide collaboration,” said Marie Owens Thomsen, who is IATA SVP Sustainability and Chief Economist. He further continues, in addition to these proposals, to leverage the experience of all aviation industry partners to design, modify, and deploy solutions that are best suited to an aircraft's specific environment.
With a specific set of suggestions, the partnership promotes a sectoral approach to aircraft SUPP management. principal suggestions for airlines are:
If you haven't already, facilitate onboard waste segregation by putting new operational procedures in place, especially for places where ICW laws don't apply. Improve waste management by adopting onboard and ground trash separation and performing waste composition audits for commercial and freight operations. Actively work with manufacturers of aircraft and trolley carts to push for solutions that enable waste compaction, liquid disposal units, and the segregation of waste streams.
IATA survey results show an increasing consumer and freight sector demand for lower SUPP consumption, with travellers prepared to support fewer options for food and drinks to reach this aim. Freight companies say that clients are increasingly demanding that plastic packaging be reduced across the supply chain.
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