All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan’s largest and 5-Star airline for eight consecutive years, will become the first Japanese airline to introduce meal trays made from biodegradable materials.
Composed of bagasse – the waste fiber created from pressing sugarcane – these biodegradable trays will further reduce ANA’s carbon footprint. This is the latest in a long line of sustainability initiatives from ANA, as it works to meet the ambitious targets outlined in its 2050 sustainability goals.
The new meal trays will be introduced beginning in August 2021 for economy class meals on international flights. By simply replacing the plastic meal trays, the amount of disposable plastic used by ANA for inflight services will be reduced by about 30 percent, an amount that was equal to 317 tons during fiscal 2019.
“At ANA, we view sustainability as critical to our mission and we are constantly searching for ways to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Chikako Miyata, Senior Vice President and Director of Corporate Sustainability. “We will keep making efforts to improve sustainability and create a better planet. We will continue to consider innovative technologies that allow us to operate safely, efficiently and effectively as we serve the needs of customers worldwide.”
In 2020, ANA introduced plastic-free cutlery and straws, reducing the amount of plastic used by 25 tons compared to the previous year. The reduced use of plastic is central to ANA’s 2050 ESG initiatives and the airline will continue exploring areas where it can reduce consumption and waste.
ANA is committed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and has been recognized by Dow Jones and S&P for continued leadership in sustainability.
About ANA
Following the “Inspiration of Japan” high quality of service, ANA has been awarded the respected 5-Star rating every year since 2013 from SKYTRAX. ANA is the only Japanese airline to win this prestigious designation eight years in a row. Additionally, ANA has been recognized by Air Transport World as “Airline of the Year” three times in the past 10 years – 2007, 2013 and 2018, becoming one of the few airlines winning this prestigious award for multiple times.
ANA was founded in 1952 with two helicopters and has become the largest airline in Japan, as well as one of the most significant airlines in Asia, operating 82 international routes and 118 domestic routes. ANA offers a unique dual hub model which enables passengers to travel to Tokyo and connect through the two airports in the metropolitan Tokyo, NARITA and HANEDA, to various destinations throughout Japan, and also offers same day connections between various North American, Asian and Chinese cities.
ANA has been a member of Star Alliance since 1999 and has joint venture partnerships with United Airlines, Lufthansa German Airlines, Swiss International Airlines and Austrian Airlines.
In addition to the full service and award-winning record of ANA, the ANA Group’s subsidiary Peach Aviation Limited is the leading LCC in Japan, and has expanded following the integration of Vanilla Air Inc. in late 2019. The ANA Group carried 54.4 million passengers in FY2018, has approximately 43,000 employees and a fleet of 260 aircraft. ANA is a proud launch customer and the biggest operator of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
