During an annual sustainability showcase, Emirates Group showcases its mission to reduce single-use plastics through ‘Tomorrow Takes Flight’ event. This is in conjunction with the UN’s call to end plastic pollution, spotlighting Emirates’ and dnata’s efforts and approach to ‘Consuming Responsibly’ through a circular cycle of sourcing, reusing, repurposing and reducing usage of plastic.
Tomorrow Takes Flight Conference
The exhibition’s approach towards this conference is through initiatives by Emirates and dnata. Dnata, an organisation providing end-to-end sustainable services to aviation industry, aims to make a green and conscious travel experience. Both have partnered across various departments, including engineering, catering, cargo and travel.
The conference was attended by panellists from Emirates Engineering, Flight Operations, Emirates SkyCargo and dnata Technical Services. There were further contributions to this conference by reputed industry partners like the University of Cambridge, the UAE GCAA, Airbus, Boeing and many more.
The sustainable initiatives taken by Emirates mainly highlighted the next chapter of ‘Aircrafted by Emirates’, included transforming retired materials into functionally aesthetic items, use of recycled materials by service delivery teams, plastic cleanup efforts at the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, an Emirates Flight Catering biodigester interactive display and provision of sustainable food samples.
dnata illustrated these initiatives by highlighting:
- The use of plant-based packaging and utilising ingredients to their utmost potential to minimise waste.
- Recycling programmes by dnata Cargo
- Reduction in food waste by Marhaba
- Deployment of river interceptor by dnata Travel to prevent ocean pollution
Such team initiatives and creative solutions by an organisation are crucial to drive change and commit responsibly to the future. dnata’s CEO, Steve Allen said:
“We are driving progress through action: investing in renewable energy infrastructure at our facilities, accelerating the shift to electric ground support equipment, and collaborating with alternative fuel suppliers to lower emissions. At the same time, we’re tackling food waste, promoting responsible consumption, and expanding recycling programmes as part of a broader shift toward circular resource management.”
Are these efforts put into practice?
Emirates partners like Ecyclex and Reloop demonstrated how different waste streams could be recycled including e-waste. The Falcon Aircraft Recycling showcased its aircraft made of recycled parts. To fight SDG’s theme of #beatingplasticpollution, Dubai airport introduced creative methods to tackle airport-specific waste.
The conference was interactive and helped employees to gain a better understanding of sustainable practices by participating in quizzes and games. Participants were encouraged to build a ‘Bottle Wall’ and were later upcycled into custom plant pots for them to take home.
The Emirates’ Deputy President & Chief Operations Officer, Adel Al Redha said:
“Environmental responsibility is essential to achieving our objectives as an airline and as an industry, and it supports the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 Strategy.”
Moving ahead with such initiatives, are these strategies to achieve net zero by 2050 an oxymoron? Or is there still scope to achieve it? Let us know in the comments section below!
