How ANA Is Repurposing Used Cargo Plastic Across Its Operations

All Nippon Airways

IATA/ICAO Code:

NH/ANA

Airline Type:

Full Service Carrier

Hub(s):

Tokyo Haneda Airport, Tokyo Narita Airport

Year Founded:

1952

Alliance:

Star Alliance

CEO:

Koji Shibata

Country:

Japan

Region:

Asia

All Nippon Airways, commonly known as ANA (NH), has launched a recycling campaign with a leading plastics trading company, Sojitz Pla-Net, to reduce the disposal of plastic waste. The partnership marks the first recycling campaign to be ever launched by a Japanese airline. Let's have a closer look at the project.

ANA to recycle used cargo plastic across operations

ANA has teamed up with a leading plastics trading company, Sojitz Pla-Net, to launch a recycling campaign aiming to reduce plastic disposal.

The initiative consists of the collection of used plastic cargo coverings; these are then converted into recyclable plastic goods, which will be used by the ANA Group. According to a statement from the airline, the process involves the following steps:

ANA collects plastic coverings used for cargo across different Japanese airports
Once collected, all labels, tape, and adhesives are removed so that the materials can be compressed
Sojitz Pla-Net then collects the compressed materials and recycles them into pellets
The pallets are then delivered to manufacturers of plastic products used by the ANA Group
The plastic goods will be employed across various operations, including plastic film coverings for cargo and in-flight garbage bags.

Both ANA and Sojitz Pla-Net will be involved in the recycling process, whose outcome are plastic goods used across various operations by the ANA Group. Photo: ANA

A one-of-a-kind partnership in Japan

ANA's announced partnership with Sojitz Pla-Net is a novelty in the Japanese aviation industry; indeed, ANA is the first airline in this country to adopt such an innovative and sustainable approach to operations.

The recycling initiative is part of ANA's medium-to-long-term environmental plan. The Group aims to reduce the disposal rate of various resources by at least 70% between 2019 and 2030, on the path to achieving zero waste by 2050. Commenting on the partnership, Shinichi Inoue, president and CEO of ANA, highlighted how this partnership reflects ANA's deep commitment and global effort to reach the Group's sustainability goals and to progress its "ANA Future Promise" initiatives.

ANA Future Promise lays its foundation in promoting ESG management, i.e., managerial practices that adopt a sustainable approach to the Environment, Society, and Governance. This managerial approach aims to promote and realize a sustainable society and enhance corporate value. The ANA Group has named the period up to 2030 the "Decade of Action", a moment to accelerate the effort to achieve the so-called Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Additionally, ANA's CEO hopes that the Group will inspire other players in the industry to follow suit in establishing extensive recycling initiatives to reduce plastic disposal in Japan.

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The role of ANA in Japan

ANA is one of the leading full-service carriers (FSCs) in Japan.

According to the Official Airline Guide (OAG), ANA is indeed Japan's first carrier in terms of capacity, as measured in seats, deployed from Japan in 2022, for a total of 35,550,921. ANA's strongest competitor is Japan Airlines - JAL - (JL); the third-largest carrier is ANA Wings (EH), a regional carrier wholly owned by the ANA Group. Therefore, considering ANA and ANA Wings, in 2022, the ANA Group deploys 51% more seats than the second-largest carrier in the country, JAL.

ANA, like Lufthansa in Europe, is based on a dual-hub network structure, with operations being focused around the airports of Tokyo Haneda and Tokyo Narita. Besides All Nippon Airways and ANA Wings, other subsidiaries part of the Group include Air Japan, and Peach, the latter being the fourth-largest airline in Japan in 2022.

Commenting on the story, an ANA spokesperson told Simple Flying,

"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 Shinichi Inoue, President and Chief Executive Officer of ANA. "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."

What do you think of the ANA Group's environmental initiative? Let us know in the comment section below!