Wednesday 26 February 2020

British Airways ‘to remove 250 million in-flight plastic items during 2020’

British Airways has announced a new target to remove more than 700 tonnes of single-use plastic from its flights in 2020.

It says that's 250 million individual bits of plastic, equivalent to the weight of more than 30,000 full suitcases.

The airline is working to replace packaging and wrapping for items such as blankets and headsets with sustainable alternatives and is seeking reusable or recyclable substitutes for cutlery, tumblers, cups and toothpicks.

Kate Tanner, British Airways’ Customer Experience Manager said: “We’ve spent a long time researching how to make sustainable changes without causing environmental impacts elsewhere.

“Some potential replacement options may be heavier, which would then have an impact on the weight of the aircraft and therefore on our emissions, so we must ensure we are making the right choices on all replacements.”

BA has already rolled out initiatives to remove 25 million individual items of single-use plastic onboard each year and changes they have already made include bamboo drink stirrers and water bottles made from 50% recycled plastic.