SAS claims to care deeply about the environment. Here’s a suggestion to quickly eliminate unnecessary waste…not just talk about it.
To combat its perception as a polluter, SAS has taken several steps, including:
- Seeking to use more biofuel (whatever that means…)
- Replacing older, less-fuel-efficient aircraft (MD80s were retired)
- Switching heavier seating for lighter, slimline seating
- Investing in energy projects that counteract the CO2 emissions generated by its Eurobonus loyalty program members
- Asking customers to pre-book food (to avoid waste and extra weight onboard)
- More plant-based dishes
- Locally-sourced ingredients
- Frequent changes to onboard meals (4x week), since they are fresh and based upon seasonal ingredients [on shorthaul flights]
- Drink stirrers made of wood rather than plastic
- Eliminating hot towels on short-haul flights
On that last point, Linnea Malmberg, SAS’s head of Onboard Concept and Service, said:
We are stopping with the hot towel service on short-haul flights because it’s a waste.
I disagreed, but speaking of waste…
Earlier this week, I wrote about my recent SAS flight from Copenhagen to Reykiviak. Breakfast was served in SAS Plus after takeoff in a paper container with a lot of plastic:
Here’s what I was left with after breakfast:
That’s certainly a lot of paper and plastic waste!
Why not invest in reusable containers…dare I say real dishes and glasses…for meal service? I doubt the extra weight to carry and water to sanitize such dishes and glasses would be worse than all the waste created by each passenger now. It would also create a more premium appearance.
CONCLUSION
While I would not label this an urgent matter, I still think that SAS could make more sensible and environmentally-friendly cuts than hot towels…
> Read More: SAS Cuts Hot Towels In Business Class “For The Environment”
> Read More: SAS Worried As “Flying Shame” Grips Sweden
This new catchphrase I keep reading, “plant-based”…is it the same as “vegetarian”? 🙂 Not so sexy now, eh 🙂
More like vegan, as vegetarian suggests it could include eggs and dairy products.
Sweden is right now focusing a bit too much on what people are eating, how they’re traveling and why, as well on, supposedly at least, using less plastic. It’s quickly becoming a medal illness imho, with people obsessing about it. I’m not saying that mankind doesn’t need to reduce the use of plastics, but people still buy a lot of fashion that gets used once or twice, then forgotten about and Swedish people buy an excessive amount of fashion, rather than more practical clothes. Much of it was, until recently, also bought directly from China through various online retailers, which means it was sent by air… It’s all a bit hypocritic imho, as some things are ok, but others are not.
I don’t about SAS specifically but Nordic countries in general use a lot of materials that are known for their low environmental impact, are very efficient at recycling waste and a lot of non-recyclable waste is used to produce energy for heating and electricity. At least when flying to Sweden, that trash will not end up in landfills anywhere.
Nordic countries are also concerned about food going into waste in the first place. If you compare producing food or drinks and then it going to waste because of poor packaging vs. packaging it well enough to avoid everything going to waste..
Extra weight from proper glass and silverware + water is most likely less environmental friendly than environmental friendly end-to-end packaging from recycled materials.
Sounds nice but I wish the Swedes and Nordic countries were more concerned about physical safety of their lives given that the African and Arab migrants coming to Nordic countries commit a disproportionately high amount of violent crime. The nordics are more concerned about less plastic than less rapes and murder.
SAS are now also reducing their 737 fleet which by today’s standards is not fuel efficient. Initially the 737s will be concentrated in Norway to reduce the places needed to be equipped to maintain them and they will be retired as A320 neos are delivered to replace them.
Interestingly SAS are only going to use the A320 in the future although they have A321s and A319s now so it’s also going to be a one size fits all operation on shorthaul and longhaul will in future be built around the A350 though many of the current A330s have a lot of life left in them at present so that transition will be slower.
Well reduce your trips by plane my dear. All your trips a year a probably equal to all waste of SAS per year
Agreed with the author