Sustainability

Southwest Airlines Takes Off with Eco-Friendly Inflight Service, Introducing Bamboo Cups and Wooden Stir Sticks

Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) has unveiled a new eco-friendly initiative with the introduction of bamboo cups and wooden stir sticks, marking a major milestone in its push to reduce single-use plastics in inflight service. The carrier, which aims to significantly cut plastic use by 2030 as part of its "Nonstop to Net Zero" strategy, expects these latest additions will eliminate more than 1.5 million pounds of plastic waste annually.

Through this partnership, the brand has launched Date Energy Bars, India’s first energy bar with compostable flexible packaging.

The new Date Energy Bars, produced by Brawny Bear, are packaged using Pakka Limited’s compostable flexible packaging. This product not only offers a healthy snack option but also addresses the growing concern of packaging waste in India.

When compared to the lifecycle of steel cans, the new packaging is claimed to have six times less climate impact.

Easy to open and store, the new packaging is 60% lighter, occupies 30% less shelf space, and is designed to reduce transport space by 20%.

Amcor, a global leader in responsible packaging solutions, has unveiled its Decarbonization Roadmap aimed at reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The company's targets, validated by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), are in line with the latest climate science to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Amcor’s Decarbonization Roadmap is centered around "4 + 1" key areas:

“Our largest sector is the produce industry — with berry growers and shippers being a very large percentage of our clients,” said Greg Ganzerla, president and CEO of the Lake Forest, CA-based company. “Our goal is to offer a MAP solution to the berry industry that is effective, affordable and easy to use.”

Not only does PEAKfresh provide longer shelf life, but it helps lower labor and energy costs.

Frugalpac’s new collaboration with ITC’s Packaging & Printing Business will see them promote and grow the demand for paper bottles in India with a view to eventually produce these low-carbon bottles in India.

The Frugal Bottle is made from 94% recycled paperboard with a food grade pouch to hold the liquid, is five times lighter than a glass bottle and crucially has a carbon footprint 84% lower than bottles made from glass with a water footprint four times lower too.