Southwest Airlines’ new in-flight cups and stir sticks are designed to help save more than 1.5 million pounds of single-use plastic annually. (Photo courtesy of Southwest Airlines)
Airlines are exploring more sustainable methods, including innovative ways to remove environmentally unfriendly plastics from their cabins. Dallas-based Southwest has made a small but very notable move to do just that by adjusting the items that all passengers may come into contact with on board.
The low-cost airline has introduced new bamboo cups for onboard cold drinks, as well as wooden stirring sticks with the airline’s iconic ‘heart’ branding. Both items are part of Southwest Airlines’ goal to eliminate as much single-use plastic as possible from in-flight service by 2030.
Reduce single-use plastic by 1.5 million pounds annually
These moves may seem small, but they add up to a big impact. Southwest Airlines said it expects the new product to reduce single-use plastics onboard its flights by “more than 1.5 million pounds per year.”
The new cold cup is made from 93% non-plastic materials and features a pulp blend of 75% bamboo and 25% paper with a polyethylene (PE) lining. The airline noted that the U.S. Green Building Council considers bamboo to be a “rapidly renewable material.” This is because bamboo reaches harvestable maturity in three to five years.
That little stick? The airline says it is made from 100% FSC5 certified birch wood.
The move comes three months after Southwest “completely eliminated plastic” from its service items and transitioned to paper packaging for its napkins, which are made from 100% post-consumer recycled materials. The airline said the overlaps are made from FSC- or PEFC5-certified materials.
Southwest Airlines plans to make further changes to its flights to and from Hawaii in the coming months. The new snack selection service on these flights is expected to reduce food waste and reduce single-use plastic packaging by at least 18,000 pounds annually.
“With our new bamboo cold cups, wooden stir sticks and other initiatives, we expect to exceed our goal of reducing plastic by weight by 50% from our in-flight service by 2025, and we continue to work with our suppliers. “If possible, we aim to completely eliminate single-use plastics from in-flight service by 2030,” said Southwest Airlines Environmental Sustainability Officer. Managing director Helen Giles said in a statement.
“It’s been a year since we announced our Nonstop to Net Zero strategy, which included tackling single-use plastics in our in-flight service,” Giles added. “Today’s announcement recognizes the hard work and dedication of many teams across the South West in achieving these goals.”
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