Emirates Marks World Environment Day with New Recycling Initiative

Photo source: Emirates.

In a bid to combat plastic pollution and commemorate United Nations World Environment Day on June 5, Dubai-based airline Emirates will begin incorporating recycled utensils into its onboard service from this month onwards.

The theme for World Environment Day 2023 will focus on solutions to plastic pollution under the campaign #BeatPlasticPollution.

Marking the day, Emirates has announced that millions of its onboard items such as plastic trays, bowls, snack and casserole dishes, will now be recycled in a local facility and remade into fresh, ready-to-use Emirates meal service products.

Closed loop recycling initiative

The airline’s new initiative aligns with the principles of a circular economy, focusing on the reduction, reuse, and recycling of materials.

Photo source: Emirates.

To bring this recycling initiative to fruition, Emirates has joined forces with deSter FZE UAE, a renowned provider of serviceware concepts to the aviation industry and a leading expert in closed-loop manufacturing.

DeSter FZE UAE is a member of the CE100 network, which comprises some of the world’s leading circular economy companies. The company has also received the prestigious “Gold” Sustainability rating from Ecovadis, a globally recognized certification for sustainable practices.

Emirates has been actively committed to reducing plastic waste through various initiatives.

The airline has already replaced over 150 million single-use plastic items, such as straws, inflight retail bags, and stirrers, with responsibly sourced paper and wooden alternatives.

Photo source: Emirates.

Furthermore, Economy and Premium Economy Class passengers enjoy soft blankets onboard, each manufactured from 28 recycled plastic bottles, saving 88 million plastic bottles from ending up in landfills each year.

Emirates has also embraced the use of recycled plastic bottles in the production of inflight toy bags, baby amenity kits, plush toys, and hygiene covers for meal trays and plastic tumblers. The airline’s Economy and Premium Economy amenity kits are made from alternative materials like kraft paper, rice paper, and recycled plastic, reducing the reliance on virgin plastic.

Emirates’ latest recycling initiative, follows the airline’s recent announcement to commit 200 million US dollars to fund research and development (R&D) projects focused on reducing the impact of fossil fuels in commercial aviation.