How All Nippon Airways is Repurposing Used Cargo Plastic Across its Operations

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): All Nippon Airways, commonly known as ANA, has launched a recycling campaign with a leading plastics trading company, Sojitz Pla-Net, to reduce the disposal of plastic waste. The partnership marks the first recycling campaign to be ever launched by a Japanese airline. Let’s have a closer look at the project. ANA has teamed up with a leading plastics trading company, Sojitz Pla-Net, to launch a recycling campaign aiming to reduce plastic disposal. The initiative consists of the collection of used plastic cargo coverings; these are then converted into recyclable plastic goods, which will be used by the ANA Group. The process involves the following steps:

1. ANA collects plastic coverings used for cargo across different Japanese airports
2. Once collected, all labels, tape, and adhesives are removed so that the materials can be compressed
3. Sojitz Pla-Net then collects the compressed materials and recycles them into pellets
4. The pallets are then delivered to manufacturers of plastic products used by the ANA Group
5. The plastic goods will be employed across various operations, including plastic film coverings for cargo and in-flight garbage bags.

ANA’s announced partnership with Sojitz Pla-Net is a novelty in the Japanese aviation industry; ANA is the first airline in this country to adopt such an innovative and sustainable approach to operations.The recycling initiative is part of ANA’s medium-to-long-term environmental plan. The Group aims to reduce the disposal rate of various resources by at least 70% between 2019 and 2030, on the path to achieving zero waste by 2050.

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantagemag.com