by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 11:13 AM ET, Mon June 27, 2022
LATAM Airlines Group, a leading airline group in Latin America, will be speeding up its sustainability commitments by eliminating all single-use plastics in its operations by 2023.
LATAM has already been implementing programs to achieve its goals: from June 1, all international flights' Premium Business guests receive reusable bags with their rest items instead of single-use plastic bags. The travel kits for these passengers have also been changed to include bamboo toothbrushes and kraft paper wrappings.
The next task will be to replace cups, eating implements and tableware in the Economy cabin with reusable or recyclable materials. This will eliminate over 1,000 tons of single-use plastics in the short term. The amount is equal to 36,000 500 ml plastic bottles.
Additionally, its cargo operations have implemented five different projects to reduce the use of plastic by 60 percent; one such example is replacing the plastic it used for wrapping loads with reusable blankets.
On domestic flights in countries like Chile, Peru and Ecuador, LATAM also implements a "Recycle Your Trip" project which includes separating recyclable items used onboard.
All of the above projects are part of the group's sustainability goals. Besides eliminating single-use plastics by 2023, the group is also working towards achieving zero waste to landfills by 2027, offsetting 50 percent of its domestic emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
"The proposed goals have challenged us to rethink the design, materiality, and protocols of our onboard service. We are aware that this is a gradual process, where we still have a lot to learn, but we will continue working to implement concrete changes that allow us to generate a greater impact for the benefit of our communities and ecosystems," said Paulo Miranda, Vice President of Customers at LATAM Airlines Group.
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