ANA will partner with plastics trading company Sojitz Pla-Net Corp to reduce the disposal of plastic by introducing a new closed recycling initiative.
The project involves the collection of used plastic cargo coverings which will then be repurposed into recyclable plastic goods used by the ANA Group.
“Our partnership with Sojitz Pla-Net is a reflection of ANA’s deep commitment and global efforts to meet our sustainability goals and furthers our ANA Future Promise initiatives,” said ANA president chief executive Shinichi Inoue.
“We take great responsibility being Japan’s first airline to establish an extensive recycling initiative that reduces plastic disposal and hope to inspire others to follow suit.”
Kenichi Ariga, president of Sojitz Pla-Net, said: “Our initiative with ANA HD is an important milestone in reducing plastic waste in the environment. We hope this operation will be recognized globally and inspire not only other airlines, but other industries and corporations to do their part in recycling and repurposing the materials they already have.”
Overview of process
- ANA collects plastic coverings used for cargo from airports across Japan.
- Once the materials are collected, all labels, tape and adhesives will be removed before compressing the materials to be recycled.
- Sojitz Pla-Net collects the compressed material and recycles it into pellets.
- Sojitz Pla-Net delivers the pellets to manufacturers of plastic products used by ANA.
- Once the plastic goods are reproduced, ANA will use the products in various operations, such as plastic film coverings for cargo and in-flight garbage bags.
This initiative is part of ANA’s medium-to-long-term environmental targets, where the ANA Group aims to reduce the disposal rate of resources by at least 70% from the fiscal 2019 level by fiscal 2030, and to reduce waste to zero by fiscal 2050.
