Cathay Pacific considers asking passengers to bring their own cutlery in green initiative

The question, targeting business class flyers, was part of a survey sent out to selected members of the airline’s “Cathay Lab”, a 10,000-strong loyal testbed for offers and ideas, reported by View From the Wing. The message asked the Lab community four main questions around possible sustainability initiatives. The airline wondered, would customers be prepared to:

• Bring their own cutlery set?
• Pick up and recycle plastic bottles?
• Give bottles to attendants?
• Bring their own bottle on board?

Most of the Lab members responding to the ideas on a forum seemed in favour of taking action. The questions asked point to the various measures Cathay Pacific is considering to boost efficiency and the company’s green credentials. However it is unclear whether any of these ideas will ever be put into action.

Business Insider, reporting the issue, cast doubt on the idea of customers bringing their own cutlery, suggesting that “one of the perks of flying upper class is better food — served on proper plates with metal cutlery”. More important perhaps, is the question of how the customers would manage to get their own cutlery, including knives, through security checkpoints in airports.

Most conversations around aviation’s carbon footprint and impact on the environment concentrate these days on the development of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), the production of which relies on highly sought after feedstocks and remains far behind the sector’s needs, despite government-subsidised drives around the world to move the dial.

Nonetheless, small changes can also make a big difference when it comes to reducing waste and making aircraft lighter. Airline passengers generate millions of tons of waste every year, with many of the amenities they receive on flights wrapped unnecessarily in plastic – only 9% of which is recycled, according to scientists. By 2030, 10 million tons of waste from airlines are expected to go straight to landfill or incinerators, says the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Yet up to 75% of this waste could be recycled, if non-profit Green America is to be believed.