Qantas will begin the process of phasing out single use plastic cutlery as part of the airline’s ongoing sustainability review. From today, single-use plastic cutlery items will be progressively replaced with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accredited wooden cutlery packs.

The new wooden cutlery packs will initially be introduced for customers to use on Queensland flights. The packs will be rolled out across the entire domestic and regional network from next month.

The move is part of the airline’s commitment to sustainability and waste reduction. In Q1 2020, Qantas introduced bamboo stirrers and compostable hot cups, eliminating over 5.5 million single-use plastic inflight items. This followed the removal of plastic straws across the network in 2019.

Qantas Group was set to achieve its waste and single-use plastic targets prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

Qantas is reviewing and updating its waste strategy in light of new COVID-19 operating conditions that has seen a temporary requirement for single-use items for the safety and wellbeing of our customers (like butter packs in lounges) and continues to work with airline partners and manufacturers to find green alternatives.

The Qantas Group has committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and investing A$50 million in developing a sustainable aviation fuel industry.

Comments from Qantas Group Chief Sustainability Officer, Andrew Parker:

“Switching to wooden cutlery will result in millions of single-use plastic items being progressively eliminated from our supply chain.

“The combination of important new products like this and other critical steps like sustainable aviation fuel will help us meet our net zero carbon emissions by 2050 target and new aggressive waste reduction targets.”