Alaska Airlines is looking to replace serving single-use plastic water bottles with Boxed Water. According to Alaska Airlines, the company could eliminate approximately 32 million plastic bottles yearly. Also, this move is an expansion of the partnership between Boxed Water and Alaska in May.
Boxed Water Will Replace Plastic Bottled Water
Boxed Water is made of 92% plant-based cartons. It was first introduced to the first class of Alaska’s select aircraft. Daryn Kuipers, CEO and co-founder of Boxed Water, said that “We are proud to partner with Alaska Airlines to decrease impact of the travel industry on the environment”.
Alaska will also switch to using recyclable paper cups for its water service. With these changes, it represents 1.8 million pounds of single-use plastics eliminated from Alaska’s flights by next year. That weight is equivalent to 18 Boeing 737s.
Diana Birkett Rakow, vice president of public affairs and sustainability for Alaska Airlines said that “As a West Coast-based airline, we fly to some of the most beautiful places on earth. Protecting these habitats is critical for our collective future”. Rakow added that “reducing plastic waste is a key step”.
Rakow also said that “We’re proud to partner with Boxed Water on our most impactful plastic-reduction initiative yet, on a continued journey to minimize inflight waste”.
Carbon Emissions to Net Zero by 2040
Alaska Airlines isn’t new when it comes to promoting environmentally friendly initiatives such as removing inflight plastic wastes. In 2018, the carrier took out plastic straws and stir sticks.
Aside from removing the use of plastic, Alaska announced its goal to reduce its carbon footprint. And with this goal, passengers can expect net-zero carbon emissions from Alaska Airlines by 2040. Alaska’s roadmap to net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 includes fleet renewal, operational efficiency, the use of sustainable aviation fuel, novel propulsion, and high-quality carbon offsetting technology. Alaska also recently ordered Boeing 737 MAX aircraft that have 22% better fuel efficiency.
Also, it plans to improve its water and waste efficiency by 2025. In April, Alaska’s CEO Ben Minicucci said that “we must operate every day in a way for both people and our planet”.
