Alaska Airlines announced that it has completed its transition to paper cups for inflight beverages, a move which the airline said will eliminate more than 55 million plastic cups annually.
The airline partnered with Boxed Water, a company that creates water containers from 92% plant-based cartons.
Alaska said that the elimination of plastic cups will save more than 2.2 million pounds of plastic from landfills a year, the equivalent weight of 24 Boeing 737s.
Alaska Airlines began the process of eliminating its five largest sources of plastic waste in 2018 by removing plastic straws and stir sticks from inflight service, which the airline said was a first for any airline at the time.
In 2021, Alaska established climate goals for its impacts on carbon, waste, and water while defining a pathway to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040 .
Alaska’s five-part pathway involves the following initiatives:
- Fleet renewal
- Operational efficiency
- Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
- Novel propulsion
- Credible, high-quality carbon offsetting technology
Alaska Airlines is the first US airline to completely eliminate the use of plastic cups onboard.