Emirates Enhances Commitment to Sustainable Aviation Practices

Emirates Airline has intensified its sustainability initiatives by implementing a closed-loop recycling programme aimed at reducing plastic waste. This initiative involves recycling millions of onboard items, including plastic trays, bowls, snack dishes, and casserole dishes, at a local facility in Dubai. These items are remanufactured into new meal service products for use on flights, aligning with the principles of a circular economy where materials are reduced, reused, and recycled.

The recycling process entails collecting used and damaged meal service items from Economy and Premium Economy Class after flights. These items are then washed, inspected for damage, and transported to a Dubai facility where they are ground down, reprocessed, and remoulded into new dishes, bowls, and trays. The remanufactured products are subsequently returned to Emirates Flight Catering for use in future in-flight services.

Emirates has partnered with deSter FZE UAE, a leading provider of serviceware concepts to the aviation industry and an expert in closed-loop manufacturing, for this initiative. The new meal service items contain at least 25% reused material, with plans to increase this proportion over time. The deSter facility in UAE was chosen to minimize the carbon footprint associated with recycling processes, as it eliminates the need to send products to other countries for recycling. The factory also incorporates sustainable design principles, focusing on solar power, efficient water use, and waste minimization.