Meals on future international Air New Zealand flights could look different

It may have been a while since travellers have enjoyed a full meal on an international Air New Zealand flight, but the next time they travel afar the serving could look a bit different. The national carrier has been trialling a new more sustainable eco-serviceware, switching out the single-use plastic usually part of the meal packaging. The trial happened on recent services to the Cook Islands. In place of the usual plastic, containers made from bagasse and rotable plastic were used. Bagasse is an agricultural by-product made from plant fibre that is renewable and has a lower carbon footprint than traditional serviceware material. Rotable plastic is a product which can reused over and over again. Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty says the current serviceware is a decade old and needs a change up. “We’re on a journey to reduce the impact of our serviceware on the environment by moving away from single-use plastics and trialling more sustainable serviceware across some of our international flights.” Also, as part of the trial, plastic cutlery was replaced by a bamboo alternative. The airline believes 28 million single use plastic dishes and knives, forks and spoons could be removed from inflight every year.<br/>