Southwest Airlines has introduced new bamboo cups and wooden stir sticks in order to eliminate single-use plastics from its inflight service by 2030.
In a press release published on October 28, 2024, Southwest said it had looked into the environmental impact of its inflight service items and identified two of the largest sources of single-use plastics: cups for cold beverages and stir sticks.
Throughout 2024, Southwest created a plan to replace these items, which included “robust testing” among customers and employees. Southwest said it expects the new items to reduce inflight single-use plastics by more than 1.5 million pounds annually.
The new cold cup is created from 93% non-plastic materials. It has a blend of 75% bamboo and 25% paper, along with a polyethylene (PE) lining. According to the airline, the US Green Building Council labels bamboo as a “rapidly renewable material” since it can be harvested in three to five years. The new stir stick is made entirely from 100% FSC5-certified birch wood.
“We expect our new bamboo cold cup, wood stir stick, and other initiatives to exceed our goal to reduce plastics from inflight service by 50% by weight by 2025, and we’re excited to continue collaborating with our suppliers to work toward our goal of fully eliminating, where feasible, single-use plastics from inflight service by 2030,” said Helen Giles, Managing Director of Environmental Sustainability at Southwest Airlines.
The announcement is part of the airline’s broader sustainability strategy called Nonstop to Net Zero, which focuses on reducing single-use plastic packaging across inflight services. Southwest aims to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“It’s been a year of work since we announced our Nonstop to Net Zero strategy, including our initiatives to tackle single-use plastics in our inflight service,” Giles added. “Today’s announcement celebrates the hard work and dedication of many Teams across Southwest to meet these goals.”
In the coming months, Southwest said it will introduce a new select-a-snack offer on flights to and from Hawaii. According to Southwest, this change is anticipated to decrease food waste and reduce single-use plastic packaging by at least 18,000 pounds annually.