The European parliament overwhelmingly backed an extensive ban on plastic products last month

In an effort to address global plastic pollution the top 10 plastic items that are found in our oceans and waterways will be banned by 2021. The proposed legislation includes items like plastic straws, cotton buds, plates, cutlery and stirrers. Most of these items are not meant to be recycled and will eventually end up in our oceans and fragment as microplastics.

The question that has been raised is how is this going to affect the aviation industry? Airlines have been using plastic onboard for their low costs, light weight and their practicality. Switching to an alternative can become extremely challenging given that alternatives may not hold the same benefits as plastic products. IATA assistant director for aviation environment Jon Godson responded: “if all plastics are banned, then we end up in a situation where we have to return to ceramics and this will have a CO2 impact.” Which resulted in calling for a trade-off between the release of C02, energy and detergents going into wastewater as opposed to plastic products, which currently are being incinerated.

The problem with the new EU legislation, according to Mr. Godson, is that it’s conflicting. As European legislation of animal health is aimed at avoiding the transfer of diseases, all catering waste from outside the European Union is seen as a high-risk factor and must therefore be incinerated or buried in landfills. Ceramics clearly won’t do.

A simple solution

Luckily there is a simple alternative, offering the same advantages plastic has plus two additional ones: reducing our ecological footprint and offering a great customer experience.

Of course we are talking about bamboo here. Never thought about providing your passengers with bamboo items instead of plastic items? Then let us explain why it’s the perfect solution.

Even though bamboo is extremely durable, it is also a lightweight product, helping airlines in their continuous search for decreasing weights on their aircrafts. In general, the weight of bamboo products is comparable to plastic alternatives. In some cases, like with our bamboo toothbrushes it’s even less.

There’s a great variety in bamboo products, from disposables to non-disposables, from cosmetic products to non-food products, the options are almost limitless. Plastic products can be found everywhere because they are so cheap to produce. As bamboo can grow up to three feet in a day it makes it way cheaper to produce than most other natural material. That’s why the prices between plastic toothbrushes, cutlery or most other products slightly differ from the prices of our bamboo products while still being able to offer sustainable products.

Looking at the EU animal health legislation where all catering waste has to be incinerated or disposed of in landfills, bamboo solves this issue as well. Bamboo is completely biodegradable and therefore won’t leave behind any trace of waste.

So bamboo products share many of the advantages of plastic products. But it gets even better. Opposed to ceramics bamboo actually reduces the carbon footprint instead of increasing it. Bamboo can grow up to a meter a day and stores more CO2 than any hardwood on earth. As it grows at such a fast pace it’s considerably more land use efficient than any other kind of wood.

The Bamboovement

Our company, The Bamboovement, places great value on the well-being of our planet. Exclusively, using FSC certified bamboo to ensure the quality of our products and the forests. The Bamboovement offers competitive pricing, green products and a great flight experience for your passengers.

We are passionate about facilitating companies becoming more sustainable . Are you interested in the benefits that our bamboo products can offer your company? Contact us for more information and a set of samples.