When it comes to the resources we use, we care about every stage of the journey. From how raw materials are produced, to how we recycle waste products, we are constantly improving our operations and procedures.
Plastic is versatile, cost-effective and light, which is useful for the aviation industry because the reduction of in-flight weight leads to less fuel use and carbon emissions. However, plastics take a long time to degrade and are clearly harmful to the environment if treated irresponsibly.
That’s why we’re committed to decreasing the amount of plastic waste we generate. Watch the video below for a behind-the-scenes look at the sustainable changes we’ve made on board, and explore our YouTube playlist to stay up-to-date on our journey towards a greener future.
how we use plastics
plastic consumption
items where possible
used plastic into new items
We have exceeded our previous target to halve our use of single-use plastics. By the end of 2022, our initiatives eliminated 56 per cent of our single-use plastics per passenger - nearly 200 million pieces a year – from our 2018 baseline. To date, highlights include:
We will announce a new reduction target later this year.
Excess waste is a highly concerning environmental problem, and we’re working to cut back on the amount we create. We’ve increased our focus on waste reduction training and recycling programmes, while also harnessing digitisation procedures to improve how we manage the waste we create. Where possible, we seek to reuse items to avoid waste altogether.
We take sustainable sourcing seriously. We work closely with our suppliers to ensure we are always working to increase our use of sustainable materials, regenerated waste materials and recycled products.
Meals are delivered as close to departure as possible to minimise waste.
We’ve introduced Choose My Meal to digitally manage meal choices.
We redistribute surplus food through Feeding Hong Kong and Food Angel. In 2022, we donated 114 tonnes of surplus food to those in need.
Inconsumable food waste is sent for food recovery.
We turn our used food processing oil into vehicle biofuel.
At the end of the service of our aircraft, we work with aircraft manufacturers and companies specialising in end-of-life solutions in order to salvage spare parts and recycle or reuse aircraft parts and materials. In 2021, we launched special memorabilia upcycled our beloved aircraft, including aviation tags and pen and cardholder sets created for our 75th anniversary.