Air New Zealand To Reduce Waste By Using Edible Cookie Coffee Cups

By John Vibes

Air New Zealand has recently come up with a great new way to reduce waste on its airline. Earlier this month, the airline announced that they will be introducing edible cups on their flights and airport lounges to cut down on plastic. The cups will basically be cookies that can hold a variety of different beverages, including coffee.

The cups that the airline has chosen are made in a partnership between two companies, Kiwi and Tiice, who have teamed up for this specific product. The cups are described as vanilla-flavored biscotti cups, and they are promised to be both leakproof and durable.

The cup is already being used at Auckland airport lounges and on select flights, and they are even being sold online.

Air New Zealand is already a few steps ahead of other airlines when it comes to sustainable products and practices. Until this most recent announcement, the airline served its coffee in plant-based compostable cups, but unfortunately, those products still create waste. Air New Zealand has also taken other measures to reduce waste on its flights, including the removal of individual plastic water bottles for shorter trips and entirely eliminating single-serve plastic condiment packets.

In a press release earlier this year, Air New Zealand to reduce their total plastic consumption by 55 million items.

Air New Zealand’s Acting Head of Sustainability Anna Palairet says the airline is focused on reducing the amount of single-use plastic products it purchases.

“Single-use plastic is a highly topical and visible issue for us and our customers, so we’re really pleased to be able to share this progress to celebrate Plastic Free July. The lack of composting infrastructure available in New Zealand is a challenge so we have been focused on reducing the amount of single-use plastic products we purchase in the first place. It’s great to see more and more customers are bringing their reusable drink bottles and keep cups on board, and we encourage people to do this – our cabin crew team is happy to fill these,” Palairet says.

Brands are being forced to adopt more environmentally friendly practices as the public is becoming more aware of the dangers posed by plastic waste. Earlier this year, Truth Theory reported that Marriott International, one of the largest hotel chains in the world, announced that they will be getting rid of the miniature toiletry bottles in their hotels, and replacing them with larger, reusable containers. According to a report published by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, if the current rate of plastic pollution continues, there will be more plastic in the oceans than there are fish by the year 2050.

John Vibes is an author and journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture, and focuses solutions-oriented approaches to social problems. He is also a host of The Free Your Mind Conference and The Free Thought Project Podcast. Read More stories by John Vibes

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This article was sourced from Truth Theory.

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