Air New Zealand Long-haul Catering Weight and Waste Reduction Project

Air New Zealand | Lincoln University

THE QUESTION

Globally, long-haul network produces 390,000 tonnes of waste and 490,000 tonnes of CO2 eq annually. How might catering-related operational savings be created as a result of reduced environmental impact?

THE OUTCOME

This 2012 study identified strong potential annual savings across Air New Zealand’s long-haul network, through reductions and improved efficiencies in food, bar, dry goods and equipment service. The result of these savings also gave a reduction of 3,950 tons of CO2 equivalents per annum. Together, this data shows that meeting goals in the airline’s Environmental Management System (EMS) can be achieved while reducing expenditure, not as an additional cost.

Complete breakdown of waste profile of Air New Zealand customers

Key findings from this section include the waste profiles, broken down by passengers, class, aircraft and long-haul network. Comparative impacts of these are assessed by weight, fuel burn and relevant environmental indicators.

Facilities review

Catering, wash, waste and assembly facilities that process Air New Zealand’s long haul network were observed at Auckland, Los Angelas, Narita and Hong Kong, with other facilities at Hong Kong was also visited. Key differences, and issues of alignment, were identified.

Trade-off issues

A streamlined Life-Cycle Analysis (LCA) for a number of items was undertaken. The LCA allowed the comparison of the product’s manufacture, use and disposal across 5 common environmental indicators.

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