American Airlines Cargo looks to reduce plastic waste

Dallas-based American Airlines Cargo is using biodegradable plastic wrap BioNatur Plastics in a bid to reduce its environmental footprint.

The US freight carrier begun the process of replacing its current plastic products with the BioNatur brand in early 2022, and is now using it across most of its major hubs, including Dallas/Fort Worth, JFK, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and Philadelphia airports.

As a result, the transition has already allowed American to reduce its long-term plastic waste in landfills by more than 130,000 lbs. or the equivalent of 6.4m water bottles, over the course of 2022 alone, said the company.

Greg Schwendinger, president of American Airlines Cargo, commented: “Replacing our cargo-use plastic products with BioNatur Plastics drastically reduces the waste we leave behind and is an important step in our airline goal toward a more sustainability future.”

BioNatur Plastics is manufactured with a 1% load of an organic, food-safe proprietary additive that allows anaerobic bacteria to digest the plastic in a landfill.

Regular plastic can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade in a landfill. BioNatur biodegradable plastics will biodegrade under landfill conditions in only five to 10 years.

The end products are fully recyclable in normal waste collection streams, and with added strength, the plastics can be used in thinner amounts – thereby minimising the quantity of plastic used overall.

Outside of a landfill, the plastic has an indefinite shelf life and performs exactly like traditional plastic products.