The aviation industry has a sustainability problem, but airlines want you to know that they are trying, and that often takes the form of high-profile initiatives that won’t make much of a dent in their greenhouse emissions.
Every little helps, though, right? So far, many of these initiatives have focused on eliminating, or, at the very least, heavily reducing the reliance on single-use plastics in the passenger experience.
Some of these initiatives are, perhaps, more popular amongst passengers than others. Swapping out plastic utensils for bamboo alternatives has been far from universally popular amongst passengers.
After all, the taste and texture of a bamboo set of knife, fork, and spoon only makes the taste of most airline meals even worse.
The same is true for the big switchover from single-use beverage cups to paper alternatives that threaten to disintegrate within minutes when filled with ice.
Thankfully, Korean Air may have found one switch that won’t make the Economy Class experience even more intolerable with a new type of food container made out of sustainable plant-based materials.
It’s the first change Korean Air has made to its Economy entree dishes in two decades, eliminating single-use plastic containers in favor of dishes made from straw, sugarcane, and bamboo.
Made from pulp that doesn’t require cutting down trees, the containers can withstand the high temperatures of an airplane oven while the food is being reheated.
Korean Air claims that the new plant-based containers may reduce manufacturing-related carbon emissions by up to 60% compared to the old plastic dishes.
The Seoul-based airline will test the containers in the real world on select flights in December, with the hope of expanding the dishes across the rest of its international route network by the end of 2026.
With any luck, passengers won’t actually notice the change.
