Hong Kong International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world, supporting over 300,000 flights and more than 4 million passengers each month in 2024.¹ As the primary airline in Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific understands the significance of balancing this demand with a commitment to sustainability. In our interview with Ms. Minal Jain, Sustainable Development Assistant Manager at Cathay Pacific, we learned about their commitment to sustainable operations and the cumulative impact of small actions. 

Cathay Pacific's operations revolve around two key pillars: Carbon Reduction and Materials & Waste. The airline has implemented notable initiatives, including the adoption of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) since 2022, materials and waste reduction efforts, and the integration of circular economy principles.²  

In their pursuit of sustainability, Cathay Pacific conducted a life cycle analysis (LCA) in 2020, focusing on selected single-use plastic (SUP) products. The insights gained from the LCA guided Cathay's decisions on in-flight equipment material selection. For instance, they replaced inflight single-use plastic cups with Flustix paper cups, meeting EU regulations on disposable plastic and aligning with global sustainability standards.³ Acknowledging cost concerns, Minal told us, ''we recognize that not every sustainable choice may be cheaper initially, but they will pay back in the future.” 

With a new target to decrease passenger-facing SUP items from an average of 7.7 pieces per passenger in 2019 to 1.5 pieces by 2025, Cathay Pacific is also actively replacing SUP items on flights with alternative products, such as the introduction of lightweight metal cutlery and swapping out Styrofoam boxes with reusable in-flight cooler bags.² Additionally, they implemented the closed-loop food tray program, recycling old trays to produce new ones, embracing circular economy in their in-flight products. These efforts have resulted in a significant reduction of 56% of in-flight single-use plastic use, eliminating approximately 200 million single-use plastic articles annually.⁴ 

Most of these sustainability initiatives have been driven and supported by various departments including Inflight Services, Customer Experience Design, Catering Excellence, and even Engineering Department. At Cathay, all employees are encouraged to think about embedding sustainability in their respective business units. Guided by the principle of "Greener Together," Cathay Pacific has fostered a culture of sustainability that involves partners, staff, and customers.⁵ They achieve this through regular sustainability education, for example, with a Sustainable Development Week Event and other hands-on learning experiences. By integrating the sustainability mindset into all departments, Cathay Pacific ensures that sustainability considerations are incorporated into various aspects of their operations, including catering, product design, and stakeholder engagement. 

Cathay Pacific's commitment to sustainability in the aviation industry is a commendable example - their dedication to sustainability reminds us that investing in a better future is key and involving all stakeholders make ideas a reality.