Emirates to start using recycled utensils on board

Dubai's flagship carrier Emirates will be using new recycled utensils on its flights from June onwards, as part of its massive eco drive.

The unveiling comes in observance of UN World Environment Day on June 5, with the theme #BeatPlasticPollution.

In line with Emirates’ commitment to consuming responsibly, the new initiative is a transition to the principles of a circular economy, whereby items are reduced, reused, and recycled.

Now, millions of onboard items — such as plastic trays, bowls, snack and casserole dishes — will be recycled in a local facility and remade into fresh, ready-to-use Emirates meal service products, the airline announced on Thursday as it launched its new closed loop recycling initiative.

Millions of old and damaged meal service items from Economy and Premium Economy Class dining will be collected after flights, washed and checked for damage, transported to a facility in Dubai to be ground down, reprocessed, and manufactured into new dishes, bowls and trays — before being sent to Emirates Flight Catering to be used again for thousands of meals in the sky.

In partnership with deSter FZE UAE, a leading provider of serviceware concepts to the aviation industry, and expert in closed loop manufacturing, Emirates will be reusing plastic materials that have already reached their end-of-life and would otherwise need to be written off.

The team at deSter are members of the CE100 network, which includes some of the world’s leading circular economy companies and have also been awarded the ‘Gold’ Sustainability rating from Ecovadis – a globally recognised certification for sustainable practices.

The new trays, casseroles, snack dishes and bowls, containing at least 25 per cent reused material (recyclate), will be brought back into service on aircraft across the globe, and the proportion will continue to increase over time.