SEATTLE, Jan. 25,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines announced today
the completion of our transition to paper cups for inflight
beverages, a move which eliminates more than 55 million plastic
cups annually and replaces them with a more planet-friendly
alternative. The change to paper cups makes Alaska Airlines the
first U.S. airline to eliminate plastic cups. Combined with our
Boxed Water™ partnership, these changes eliminate 2.2 million
pounds of plastic waste from landfills every year, the equivalent
weight of 24 Boeing 737s.
"Doing the right thing is one of our core values and nothing is
more right and urgent than protecting the beautiful places that we
connect our guests to through flight," said Todd Traynor-Corey, managing director of guest
products for Alaska Airlines. "This is another important step in
our journey to eliminate single-use plastics and an important step
for the industry to see how product innovations can chart a course
to a greener future."
All inflight beverages on Alaska flights are now served in Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper cups or reusable
glassware for most First Class services. We began the process of
eliminating our five largest sources of plastic waste in 2018 by
removing plastic straws and stir sticks from inflight service – a
first for any airline at the time.
In 2021, Alaska continued our
progress by eliminating inflight plastic water bottle waste by
replacing them with Boxed Water™, another first for airlines. Boxed
Water™ cartons are made from renewable FSC certified paper,
92% of which is plant-based, saving an estimated 1.8 million pounds
of single-use plastics on our flights annually.
"Eliminating plastics is a team effort," said Traynor-Corey. "It
requires broad collaboration with our supply chain partners and
inflight team to make new products and practices that move us
toward a future with less plastic. That progress only happens with
a deeply shared commitment to care for our environment."
Single-use plastics increase the use of fossil fuels, generate
millions of tons of waste to landfills, and pollute waterways and
natural spaces. According to the most recent EPA study, an
estimated 300 million tons of plastics are produced each year
worldwide with the vast majority going unrecycled, either to
accumulate in landfills or the environment. While Alaska takes steps to eliminate plastics, we
also encourage our guests to join us in reducing waste by bringing
their own water bottles to #FillBeforeYouFly.
As part of our broader sustainability efforts, Alaska continues to pursue product innovations
and supply chain advancements to achieve our 2025 goal of replacing
the top five waste-producing items from onboard service and
continuing to recycle. In 2021, Alaska established climate goals for its
impacts in carbon, waste and water while defining a five-part
pathway to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040 to keep the
places we live and fly beautiful and viable for generations to
come.
About Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines and our regional partners serve more than 120
destinations across the United
States, Belize,
Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico. We emphasize low fares and
award-winning customer service. Alaska is a member of the oneworld global
alliance. With the alliance and our additional airline partners,
our guests can travel to more than 900 destinations on more than 20
airlines while earning and redeeming miles on flights to locations
around the world. Learn more about Alaska at news.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines
and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group.
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SOURCE Alaska Airlines