Ready for recycling
Giving a whole new meaning to the term „closing the loop”, Lufthansa has teamed up with Interzero to explore ways to reduce cabin waste and manage packaging as part of a circular economy. This is a green light for more sustainable waste management in aviation.
From the modernisation of its aircraft fleet to the use of alternative fuels - known as sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) - the Lufthansa Group is investing in the sustainable transformation of the aviation sector. Under the slogan #MakeChangeFly, the company has set ambitious climate targets and aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The closed-loop economy is also an important element of the overall sustainability strategy. „We want to make our passenger flights as environmentally friendly as possible.” - says Manuel Henle, responsible for sustainability on board at the Lufthansa Group. „Following the example of the EU waste hierarchy, we are looking closely at ways to avoid waste in passenger cabins and to reuse or recycle valuable materials. Our first candidate is single-use plastic and aluminium packaging. We want to either stop using them, replace them with more sustainable materials or make sure they are recyclable.”.
We subject the packaging to rigorous testing
Even small changes can have a huge impact, as can be seen in the packaging of children's toys: by doing away with plastic packaging, the Lufthansa Group airline SWISS is currently saving 500 kg of plastic per year. In 2024, SWISS engaged a team of consultants from Interzero to investigate the airline's ability to exploit existing optimisation potential while achieving compliance with new legal requirements under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). The first step in the process was to analyse the recyclability of selected packaging and evaluate it according to the international standard „Made for Recycling”. Interzero experts then developed recommendations for sustainable waste management measures and closed-loop models, from PPWR-compliant packaging design to efficient waste management methods.
„The expert advice we received here was extremely helpful for us in understanding the different material streams so that we could develop specific solutions step by step.” For example, the multi-material packaging of toilet tissue did not pass the recyclability analysis and will be replaced by a monoplastic solution. The Lufthansa Group will now use the same approach to check and optimise all its packaging. However, there are some limitations. „For example, our aluminium heatproof dishes for hot dishes, according to the analysis, are recyclable.” - Henle explains. „But we can't really recycle them, because this kind of cabin waste is currently subject to special legislation. This means that, for the time being, closed-loop raw material management can unfortunately be quite limited in our group. After all, even in the case of aluminium utensils, we are talking about the potential recycling of 13 Eiffel Towers per year.”.
„It is great that the Lufthansa Group has recognised the potential of the circular economy and is using Interzero's expertise to systematically increase the recyclability of packaging. What may seem like a small change on its own has a huge impact overall.”.
Carolin Kollig Director of circular solutions and consultancy, Interzero
Greater transparency through digitalisation
Despite legal restrictions and the particular challenges of limited collection and sorting capacity on board aircraft, the Lufthansa Group has consistently implemented its waste strategy. „We have already eliminated, replaced or recycled a third of the identified waste, a significant proportion of the volumes involved.” In the area of food waste, a so-called tray tracker was used for the first time. It automatically records the amount of waste and provides important information about loading as required and preventing food waste. Overall, the increased digitalisation of waste tracking should contribute to greater transparency and more efficient data-driven management of waste management processes.
From a recycling guide that improves waste segregation on board to reuse projects and trolley recycling: the ideas of the circular economy are highly valued at Lufthansa Group airlines; it is the green light for more sustainable waste management in air transport. Manuel Henle: „I am proud that sustainability is so important to us - and that it is increasingly being applied by everyone, from technicians to cabin crew to pilots.”.
Contact
biuro@interzero.pl