Emirates Expands Recycling Initiatives with Closed Loop System

Dubai based Emirates has unveiled a new closed loop recycling system, which will see millions of onboard items recycled at a local facility and remade into Emirates meal service products. The decision marks the United Nations World Environment Day, where the theme has been to #BeatPlasticPollution.

Image Source: Emirates

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Beginning this month, new recycled utensils will be brought on board that have been made from discarded onboard items such as bowls, plastic trays, snack, and casserole dishes. The initiative reflects a shift toward a circular economy, where items are reduced, reused, and recycled.

After each flight, millions of old and damaged meal service items from the Economy and Premium Economy Class cabins will be collected after flights. The items will be washed and inspected for damage before being transported to a recycling facility in Dubai, which will ground the discarded materials, re-process and manufacture them into new bowls, trays, and dishes, that will later be deployed to Emirates Flight Catering for use on board future flights.

Image Source: Emirates

The new initiative is being undertaken in partnership with deSter FZE UAE, a leading supplier in serviceware for the aviation industry. Their expertise in closed loop manufacturing will assist Emirates in reusing plastic materials that have reached the end of their life cycle and would typically be discarded into landfills. All of the new in-flight serviceware will contain approximately 25% reused materials. The proportion is expected to increase over time.

In addition to closed loop recycling, Emirates has diverted more than 150 million single-use plastic items from the landfill on an annual basis by replacing retail bags, coffee stirrers, and plastic straws with paper and wooden substitutes. Passengers in Economy and Premium Economy are already using soft blankets that have been manufactured from 28 recycled plastic bottles. All of these initiatives remain in line with Emirates` commitment to consuming responsibly.

Emirates made history six years ago when it showcased a 'drywash' technique, which it uses on its fleet of more than 250 aircraft. As suggested by the name, little to no water is used in the cleaning of the aircraft, as demonstrated in the YouTube video below, titled "How to wash an A380 without water." This technique is in contrast to traditional methods of aircraft cleaning that use thousands of liters of water per wash.