According to IATA, global air passenger demand reached record high in 2024 with a total full-year traffic rising by 10.4% compared to 2023 – or 3.8% above pre-pandemic (2019) levels.
As the industry welcomes this positive dynamic, we also need to ask ourselves how we will balance this growth with our short- and long-term sustainable goals.
In 2021, the World Economic Form warned the world that although aviation represents around 2-3% of global CO2 emissions today, this number could rise to 22% by 2050 as more people are able to fly and other industries decarbonize quicker and more efficiently. Aviation therefore needs to come up with more sustainable alternative business models to keep operating and growing while minimising its impact on the Planet.
In the words of Shashank Nigam, CEO of SimpliFlying, the industry will “need refreshed models that can share with everyone the magic of flying”.
In this context, we have looked at how airlines are incorporating alternative models such as Circular Economy principles into their operations and sustainability plans.
We have reviewed the ESG reports and announcements published by various airlines across the globe and have found that airlines are taking a variety of actions to implement Circular Economy concepts, focusing on reducing waste, increasing recycling, reusing materials, and replacing single-use items with more sustainable alternatives.
1. Why is Circular Economy relevant to airlines?
In the more conventional ‘Linear Economy’ model, we extract resources, use them to make products and dispose of them after consumption. This system puts a lot of pressure on natural resources and generates a lot of waste and pollution. The ‘Circular Economy’ model invites us to re-think our approach to production and consumption in order to limit our impact on the Planet.
According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the Circular Economy is based on three core principles: design out waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use, regenerate natural systems. The three main pillars of action of the Circular Economy are known as the 3 R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Circular Economy is still an emerging concept in the aviation industry, but it has great potential to reshape the whole supply chain from product design to end-of-life management. Some manufacturers, airlines and airports already use concepts associated with the Circular Economy and there are numerous opportunities for these industry players to reshape their processes, such as reusing and recycling end-of-life aircraft materials, reducing and valorising waste during flights and in ground infrastructures (food, packaging, solid waste, construction and demolition debris), reducing energy, water and raw material consumption.
Here are some concrete examples of how airlines are applying the 3 R's to their operations.
2. REDUCE
Reducing and Replacing Single-Use Plastics and other Raw Materials
Many airlines are actively working to reduce their reliance on single-use plastics and other disposable items by replacing them with reusable, recyclable, or renewable alternatives:
- Lufthansa Group has set the ambitious goal to end the use of single-use plastic and single-use aluminium on board by 2025. The group is replacing single-use cutlery and packaging with renewable or recyclable materials, looking at ways to develop products and services following the 3Rs principles. Since 2022, Lufthansa Group has already replaced over 200 of more than 600 onboard items. For examples, new reusable cups, paper outer packaging and post-flight packaging recycling initiatives have been introduced.
- As part of their 3R(Reduce/Reuse/Recycle)+R(Renewable) initiative, ANA is also planning to switch from single-use plastics to paper and reusable materials for in-flight meal containers. Additionally, the company has already stopped providing plastic bags for baggage packing at airports.
Reducing Waste
Airlines are also taking measures to reduce other forms of waste, including food waste, water and energy consumption:
- ANA is currently monitoring the disposal of in-flight and domestic airport lounge meals and looking at ways to optimise the number of meals loaded using pre-order services.
- Lufthansa Group aims to halve food and drinks waste on short-haul routes by 2025 compared to 2019 and are working to improve data transparency on long-haul flights to set new targets. They are also implementing on-demand services for items such as butter, salad dressings or even headphones to reduce unnecessary weight on board. Austrian Airlines has reduced the load of milk, cream, and bread on long-haul international flights. These measures have the double benefit of cutting down waste and reducing the cabin weight thereby saving fuel.
- Emirates Engineering regularly clean Emirates’ aircraft with a water‑saving ‘drywash’ procedure, which uses a small amount of cleaning agent applied with cloths. This procedure saves thousands of litres of water each wash.
3. REUSE
Promoting Reuse of Materials and Products
Some airlines are finding innovative ways to reuse items and extend their lifespan:
- At their Flight Training Facilities department, Emirates have decided to repurpose items from retiring aircraft, such as seats, for training simulators, thereby extending their use.
- Lufthansa Technik leases spare parts to keep materials in economic circulation longer and reuses parts from retired aircraft after maintenance and certification.
- In their latest Corporate Responsibility Report, United Airlines highlighted an employee initiative of upcycling expired life jacket material into new consumer products.
4. RECYCLE
Enhancing Recycling Programs.
Airlines are implementing and expanding recycling initiatives for waste generated onboard and on the ground:
- In 2019 LATAM introduced the "Recicla tu viaje" programme aiming to recycle catering waste on domestic flights, segregating PET plastic bottles and, more recently, Tetrapak in some regions. In 2024, over 280 tonnes of plastic bottles and Tetrapak were recycled by the airline. They also aim to establish an in-house recycling scheme for plastic film used in cargo transportation.
- ANA is aiming to establish an in-house recycling scheme for plastic film used in cargo transportation.
- In 2023, United Airlines conducted a recycling pilot study at United’s Terminal C operations at the Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), assessing and quantifying current waste and recycling practices to enhance waste diversion and recycling effectiveness.
- Emirates is replacing single-use plastics with alternative materials in amenity kits, toy bags, and baby amenity kits, often using recycled plastic bottle as alternative materials. In June 2023, the airline unveiled a closed-loop recycling initiative where onboard plastic service ware such as such as plastic trays, bowls, snack and casserole dishes is remanufactured into new meal service products at a local UAE facility.
Conclusion
Beyond these examples, the industry is also looking at extending Circular Economy principles to other areas of business such as cargo operations and aircraft manufacturing, improving and changing processes from design to manufacturing, operations and end-of-life phases. As the industry re-invents itself once again to face the climate emergency challenges, we want to be a key partner for airlines and support them through our Technology and Consulting Services.
Looking at best practices for sustainable air travel is key to shape an impactful sustainability improvement plan and we take all industry trends and initiatives into account when thinking about our product development roadmap and consulting offering. We will keep bringing you the latest news and figures about sustainability and social responsibility through our blog and social media so follow us now for more on this burning topic.
Sources:
ICAO: https://www.icao.int/environmental-protection/Pages/CircularEconomy.aspx
Ellen Macarthur Foundation: https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/circular-economy-introduction/overview
Wiley online library: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/csr.2365
Circular economy Europa: https://circulareconomy.europa.eu/platform/en/good-practices/sustainair-circular-economy-aviation-and-aerospace-sectors
