Plastic waste is still a thing in the air – and Alaska Airlines is trying to do something about it by partnering with Boxed Water.
Boxed Water will start flying from 4th November on all Alaska Airlines flights.
This change saves an estimated 1.8 million pounds of single-use plastics from flights over the next year – equivalent to the weight of 18 Boeing 737s.
The inflight water service for Alaska Airlines is a major cause of plastic waste. The move should eliminate 22 million plastic cups and 32 million plastic bottles per year from Alaska flights.
Alaska offered Boxed Water cartons inflight, during early 2021 as a trial. It was offered as an alternative in First Class and on Alaska’s Horizon Air-operated flights.
The trial was a success with guests and employees, with surveyed fliers preferring Boxed Water over plastic bottled water at a rate of two-to-one.
Boxed Water is a fully recyclable box-shaped carton of water, sealed with a plant-based cap. Boxed Water’s 100% pure water goes through a proprietary multi-step purification process, which includes reverse osmosis, carbon filtration, UV light and ozonation. The water is also pH neutral and free from additives.
Flying shortly – Image, Alaska Airlines
In Quotes
Diana Birkett Rakow, vice president of public affairs and sustainability for Alaska Airlines said:
“As a West Coast-based airline, we fly to some of the most beautiful places on earth. Protecting these habitats is critical for our collective future, and reducing plastic waste is a key step,”
“We’re proud to partner with Boxed Water on our most impactful plastic-reduction initiative yet, on a continued journey to minimize inflight waste.”
Daryn Kuipers, CEO for Boxed Water said:
“We are grateful to Alaska Airlines for leading the airline industry with bold steps toward plastic waste reduction,”
“Our ability to scale with Alaska from First Class to main cabin in just six months demonstrates both operational feasibility and the interest travelers have in more renewable inflight offerings.”
Now move through the rest of the service.
It’s a great start to see a lot of plastic eliminated, by switching one product and switching to a paper cup. And there’s plenty of room for growth within the service to introduce paper too (eg, other beverages, swapping out plastic utensils for wood, etc).
It’s a start – something that airlines need to get a grip with throughout their supply chain and onboard service.
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