Industry leaders push for greater collaboration to drive a shift towards circularity

World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) and the Aviation Sustainability Forum (ASF) are calling on the aviation industry to find a way to bring circularity to in-cabin waste (ICW) and build a more sustainable future for in-flight food, drinks and amenities.

On the eve of this year’s WTCE, taking place at Hamburg Messe, Germany from 6-8 June, the ASF has underlined the need for stakeholders to come together to solve the problem of in-cabin waste. It is also urging international governments to adopt regulatory change and create a globally harmonised recycling and re-use protocol.

The ASF wants to solve what it calls the industry’s “throw-away” problem, to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and incineration by developing new policy and regulatory frameworks.

As part of a new report – produced by WTCE and ASF – that takes a closer look at the issues holding back greater circularity, ASF’s Founding Partner, Matt Crane says: “The ASF has recently completed a strategic review of the ICW issue to develop a clear and detailed campaign plan. Step-by-step this will address the problem, identify the solutions the sector can adopt and open up our sector to the commercial and environmental benefits of a circular economy.”

The report includes voices from across the industry who detail how their businesses are working towards greater sustainability and circularity, and outline the problems they continue to face in doing so. Among the contributors are:

• Simon Soni, who has led catering and guest services for airlines including Qatar, Etihad and WestJet
• Wayne Costigan, Partner at Global-C, which designs, manufacturers and delivers inflight products
• June Weirich, Environmental Programme Manager at LSG Group
• Gayle Twigg, Head of Service Delivery and Projects at food solutions supplier En-Route
• Melanie Berry, Director of Customer Experience at Iberia

Polly Magraw, Event Director of WTCE, says: “This report really does bring home the opportunities for circularity in aviation, and importantly how to navigate the challenges in bringing projects to life.

“We know that carriers and their suppliers are very keen to put more initiatives in place and would find it so much easier if global regulations were harmonised to allow seamless systems across territories. Like the ASF, we believe that if airlines come together towards a common purpose, the industry will be much better placed to make true circularity happen.”

For those interested in hearing more about ASF’s work and how to embrace circularity, the group’s founder, Matt Crane, will be speaking about how to innovate supply chains at the WTCE Taste of Travel Theatre at 15:00 on 6 June.

To read the full Circularity report go to www.worldtravelcateringexpo.com/circ