2023/05/23
In Japan, June is "Environment Month" to think about the global environment, as proposed by the Environment Agency, and June 5 is World Environment Day as designated by the United Nations.
The theme of World Environment Day in 2023 is solutions to plastic pollution.
ANA Group is promoting ESG management that takes into consideration "Environment", "Social" and "Governance" in order to realize a sustainable society and enhance corporate value. We have set medium- and long-term goals for environmental issues, and under the slogan "ANA Future Promise" launched in August 2021, we aim to achieve the SDGs by developing them into a unified effort as the ANA Group with the understanding and cooperation of our customers.
In preparation for World Environment Day, let's take a look back at ANA's representative initiatives in FY2022, starting with efforts related to reduction of plastic waste.
Initiatives to Reduce Plastic Waste
ANA is currently promoting the shift away from plastic products used in airports and onboard aircraft, starting with the replacement of in-flight meal containers for economy class on international flights with plant-derived materials in FY2021, followed by the replacement of cutlery, muddlers, straws, and other items with environmentally friendly materials. In addition, We have also been reducing the amount of plastic bags for checked baggage with the understanding and cooperation of our customers.
In 2022, we changed the material of in-flight meal containers for premium class on domestic flights from disposable plastic to paper,Soup bowls and other containers that had been disposable were switched to reusable items, reducing the amount of disposable plastic waste. This will reduce plastic waste by approximately 158 tons per year (FY2019 actual), or about 10% of the amount of disposable plastic used on board.
As a result of these efforts, the ANA Group is on track to achieve its mid- to long-term environmental goal of "reducing the plastic and other resources disposal rate to zero by 2050" by FY2022. In FY2023, we will accelerate our efforts to reduce the disposal of resources by verifying the materials and quality of used plastic films for air cargo and establish a scheme to reuse them as plastic products to be used by ANA again.
Efforts to reduce CO2 emissions
As one of ANA's environmentally friendly initiatives for FY2022, the "ANA Green Jet" started operation in October. The aircraft is painted with the "ANA Future Promise" and "SAF Flight Initiative" logos and water and green motifs to express the desire to protect the beautiful earth and realize a sustainable society. This "ANA Green Jet" has implemented measures such as the use of in-flight service items and flight operations under the theme of sustainability ahead of other aircrafts. Among various measures to reduce CO2 emissions, we are testing and verifying the durability of "Riblet Film," which imitates "shark skin" and is expected to improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions by reducing air resistance of the aircraft.
In addition,In terms of flight operations, we are also making efforts to reduce CO2 emissions from airplanes by water-washing engines and reducing reverse thrust after landing on many aircrafts, including the ''ANA Green Jet''. As a result of these efforts, we have reduced CO2 emissions by 4,710 tons in March 2023. Also, 1,876 tons of fuel was saved as a result of these reductions. This amount of fuel saved corresponds to the amount of fuel required for an airplane (B787-9) to travel approximately 7 times around the globe.
CO2 emissions reduction efforts and results are updated every month in the "CO2 Emissions Reduction Results" section.For details of each initiative, please refer to "ANA Future Promise Initiatives".
The ANA Group will continue to strive to realize a sustainable society and enhance corporate value with the understanding and cooperation of our customers.
