easyJet is introducing new uniforms for its cabin crew and pilots that are made from recycled plastic, with 45 bottles going into each outfit, the firm said.
Up to half a million bottles will be re-used each year as part of the change to the new uniform, which is made from a high-tech material created using renewable energy.
easyJet says it will replace all uniforms over a five-year contract, potentially preventing 2.7 million plastic bottles from going into landfill or the ocean.
The new uniforms have been developed by Northern-Ireland based Tailored Image, and will be introduced into cabin crew circulation this month.
The material used to create the uniforms has a 75 per cent lower carbon footprint than the polyester currently used to make the outfits worn by airline staff.
While easyJet offsets the carbon emitted from their flights and takes measures to reduce emissions, it has come under fire from Greenpeace and other campaigners for operating short haul domestic flights with rail alternatives.
Compared to the non-recycled alternative, it is more abrasion-resistant, and provides more elasticity with better fit and freedom of movement for the crew.
This development can lead to it being long-lasting for the wearer, reducing the need for more uniform items to be produced in the long term, the firm said.
Beyond the new fabric, plastic has also been replaced in the packaging and other related items used to send out the uniform to crew and pilots.
Plastic collar strays will be replaced with recyclable cardboard ones, plastic shirt clips with metal shirt clips, non-recyclable white coated card with recyclable cardboard card and polypropylene outer shirt covers with biodegradable shirt covers.
easyJet says this is an expansion of its existing efforts to reduce onboard plastic, including reducing the number of single-use plastic items on its flights.
The airline has already replaced many items with more sustainable alternatives, such as introducing a small plant-based bowl as a teabag holder.
The firm says it has removed over 27 million individual items of plastic from inflight retail operation in Financial Year 2020, and has never offered plastic straws.
It also offers a 50p discount on hot drinks for customers bringing a reusable cup.
Tina Milton, Director of Cabin Services at easyJet, said climate change is an issue fore everyone, and easyJet are doing what they can to reduce emissions and waste.
‘We are excited to be debuting this new pilot and cabin crew uniform made from recycled plastic bottles and to introduce it for our pilots and cabin crew colleagues,’ Milton said, adding ‘sustainability is an important issue.’
‘It is a priority for us to continue work on reducing our carbon footprint in the short term, coupled with long-term work to support the development of new technology, including zero-emission planes which aspire to reduce the carbon footprint of aviation radically.
‘We continue to work with innovative technology partners Wright Electric and Airbus. Each of them has set out its ambitious timetables for bringing zero-emission aircraft into commercial service to become a reality.
‘People have a choice in how they travel, and if people choose to fly with us, we want to be one of the best choices they can make.’
easyJet says it has focused on being as carbon efficient as possible since its first flight 25 years ago, working to reduce emissions.
The firm says it is working on transitioning its fleet to increasingly more modern, fuel and therefore carbon-efficient planes.
Since 2000 easyJet has reduced the carbon emissions for each kilometre flown by a passenger by over a third. Initiatives have included introducing lightweight carpets, trolleys and seats, single-engine taxiing and removing paper manuals from aircraft.
In 2019, easyJet became the world’s first major airline to operate carbon neutral flights across its whole network by offsetting the carbon emissions from the fuel used for all of its flights, something they say is an ‘only an interim measure’.
While easyJet has come out on top in terms of the airline doing the most to reduce carbon emissions from flying, it has previously come under fire for operating routes also available by rail.
In February, it launched 12 domestic UK routes that saw Greenpeace say it shows the airline is prioritising profit over the planet’s health.
An easyJet spokesperson said: ‘The new routes which will operate this summer have been introduced in response to the demand we’re seeing for domestic air travel in the UK and as with all our flights, we offset all of the carbon emissions from the fuel used for them.’
They added that they are ‘supporting the development of radical new technologies to achieve zero-emission flying in the future, which we are committed to transitioning to as soon as they are available’.