Around 3% of global carbon pollution currently comes from the aviation industry, an amount which could only increase in the future. However, many airlines are now taking steps to reduce their environmental impact by electrifying ground vehicles and using sustainable products on flights.
USA Today recently reported on a sustainability practice undertaken by Singapore Airlines that ensures passengers reuse more of the company’s in-flight amenity kits after the flight is over.
These kits contain products such as lotion, lip balm, and facial moisturizing mists. Singapore Airlines collaborates with suppliers to ensure that all bottles and containers are either recyclable or as sustainable as possible.
As for the bag the amenities come in, Singapore Airlines’ Vice President of Lounge Development and Inflight Operations, Timothy Chua, told USA Today, “Could it be a travel pack for your passports, your tickets? We want to make it attractive for people to reuse.”
Though Singapore Airlines didn’t reveal specific data to USA Today, it did share that, as of now, it is satisfied with the number of bags being reused since the initiative began.
Singapore Airlines is considering taking things a step further by making its amenity kits available on demand, so passengers would have to ask for them rather than receiving them immediately upon boarding. The idea is that fewer amenity kits will be left behind if only passengers who genuinely want them receive them.
This isn’t the only sustainability initiative the company has, either. Singapore Airlines also seeks out blankets and pillows that are guaranteed to last for a long time, optimizes its routes for fuel efficiency, and has scaled its use of sustainable fuel.
This initiative from Singapore Airlines will benefit its passengers by allowing them to take the bag from the amenity kit further on their travels, making it more convenient to carry smaller items for the rest of their journey.
The move benefits the environment as well, as it encourages recycling and reuse, which reduces the amount of waste ending up in landfills and lowers the amount of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere.
Singapore Airlines will continue to incorporate sustainability into its operations, ensuring that it meets its passengers’ needs. As Chua explained to USA Today, “One of the things that we see across the company now is that sustainability is top of mind, but we balance that with what our customers expect, with what they need.”
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