Delta is accelerating its efforts to build a more sustainable and beneficial future for air travel. In 2022 the airline has been refreshing its onboard product offerings with artisan-made amenity kits, recycled bedding, reusable and biodegradable serviceware and premium canned wine.
Together, the products are claimed by the airline to reduce onboard single-use plastic consumption by approximately 4.9 million lbs (2.22m kg) per year – that’s roughly the weight of 1,500 standard-sized cars – and significantly increase Delta’s support of minority- and women-run businesses.
Delta has tapped Mexican apparel brand Someone Somewhere to create amenity kits for customers seated in the premium Delta One cabin. Someone Somewhere is a Certified B Corporation that combines Mexican traditional handcrafts with innovative products, and Delta’s partnership with the brand has created jobs for more than 250 people in five of Mexico’s most vulnerable states.
The new amenity kit eliminates five single-use plastic items such as zippers and packaging, reducing plastic use by up to 90,000 pounds on an annual basis. Someone Somewhere’s artisanal production processes also eliminate waste and utilize regenerated cotton.
Delta One bedding, made from recycled materials
Delta’s soft, comfortable and premium bedding sets are now made from more than 100 recycled plastic bottles, which will make use of 25 million recycled bottles annually. The airline is among the first to use 100% recycled polyester (rPET) bedding and – combined with the use of reusable bedding packaging – will reduce single-use plastic use at the airline by up to 260,000 lbs (117,934kg) per year.
Refreshed service ware
Delta has been overhauling its onboard serviceware globally by introducing products made from natural and recycled materials to replace and reduce plastic usage. When the project is complete in 2022, the transition will reduce annual plastic use by up to 4.3 million lbs (1.95m kg).
Delta offers bamboo cutlery for domestic First Class fresh packaged meals and on select international flights. All international Main Cabin customers will also see new dishware made from biodegradable material, bamboo cutlery, and a premium paper placemat.
This is the latest step in reducing single-use plastic items onboard. In 2018, Delta removed a variety of single-use plastic items onboard, including stir sticks, serviceware wrappers, and straws.
Imagery Estate Winery premium canned wine
Delta is serving two aluminium-canned wines from Imagery Estate Winery, a premium Sonoma winery led by award-winning winemaker, Jamie Benziger. In 2019, Benziger was named Best Winemaker at the International Women’s Wine Competition and named to Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40 list.
Delta offers Imagery’s Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay onboard on all US domestic flights. The wine’s aluminium packaging reduces annual plastic use by up to 250,000 lbs (113,398kg). Imagery’s wines are also sustainably grown, as certified by the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance.
