Catering

Alaska Airlines has begun the process of eliminating 1.8 million pounds of plastics a year through an expanded partnership with Boxed Water.

The carrier is replacing single-use plastic water bottles with 92% plant-based cartons from Boxed Water Is Better, and plastic cups with recyclable paper cups for water service.

The switch to more sustainable solutions will effectively remove 22 million plastic cups and 32 million plastic bottles per year from Alaska flights.

“As a West Coast-based airline, we fly to some of the most beautiful places on earth. Protecting these habitats is critical for our collective future, and reducing plastic waste is a key step,” said Diana Birkett Rakow, Vice President of Public Affairs and Sustainability for Alaska Airlines. “We’re proud to partner with Boxed Water on our most impactful plastic-reduction initiative yet, on a continued journey to minimise in-flight waste.”

“We are grateful to Alaska Airlines for leading the airline industry with bold steps toward plastic waste reduction,” noted Daryn Kuipers, CEO for Boxed Water. “Our ability to scale with Alaska from First Class to main cabin in just six months demonstrates both operational feasibility and the interest travellers have in more renewable in-flight offerings.”

Alaska became the first airline to offer guests Boxed Water cartons in-flight in early 2021, introducing the renewable packaged water alternative in First Class and on Alaska’s Horizon Air-operated flights. The trial was a success with guests and employees, with surveyed fliers preferring Boxed Water over plastic bottled water at a rate of two-to-one.

“Only 9% of plastic is recycled nationwide- the rest ends up in landfills, burned or in our environment,” said Todd Traynor-Corey, managing director of guest products for Alaska Airlines. “Although we have an industry-leading recycling program, the reality is that we need to move to renewable options. Getting to this point hasn’t been easy. We investigated several options with our supply chain – and this year we finally found a product our guests love and a partner whose mission-driven values mirror our own.”

In identifying the most renewable packaged water option, our Green Team Employee Business Resource Group spent months researching and vetting package materials, water quality, life cycle analysis, production impacts, and recycling capabilities.

Boxed Water is a fully recyclable box-shaped carton of water, sealed with a plant-based cap. Boxed Water’s 100% pure water goes through a proprietary multi-step purification process, which includes reverse osmosis, carbon filtration, UV light and ozonation. The water is also pH neutral and free from additives.