Air France has pledged to eliminate the use of single-use plastic items onboard it’s aircraft by the end of 2019 as part new environmental friendly policies governing it’s global operations.
A statement by the spokeswoman for the airline in Nigeria, Ms. Oluwafunmilayo Ojesina said Air France has set for itself three major environmental friendly objectives to meet: the reduction and offseting of its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions; the reduction, recycling and re-processing of its waste; and the reduction in the noise footprint of its operations.
Ojesina said new policy will see Air France replace most of the single-use plastic items distributed to customers with new products made from bio-based materials.
“It’s the end of the road for plastic cutlery, cups, stirrers, straw as passengers would be offered products made of bio-based materials instead of single-use plastic items usually distributed on board, in keeping with airline rules and health regulations,” the statement said.
In this way, Air France said it will eliminate 210 million single-use plastic items by the end of 2019. They will be replaced by sustainable alternatives on all flights, and his represents:100 million plastic cups replaced with paper cups; 85 million plastic cutlery items replaced with products made from bio-based materials and packaging; and 25 million plastic stirring sticks replaced with wooden stirrers.
Ojesina said the policy was launched on World Environment Day (June 5, 2019) on board , flight AF378 from Paris to Detroit with products made from bio-based materials replacing the usual plastic items distributed to customers.
“Flight AF378 on June 5, 2019 from Paris to Detroit operated by Boeing 787-9, the latest addition to the Air France fleet offered a large number of operational advantages, including 20 per cent lower fuel consumption than older aircraft and a significantly reduced noise footprint,” said Ojesina on the airline’s new environmental friendly initiatives.
“Air France is committed to reducing its environmental footprint in order to offer its customers a responsible travel experience and acts on a daily basis to limit the impact of its operations,” she added.