2025 Winner: Most Impactful Solution Inflight
Vietnam Airlines replaced single-use foam ice boxes with reusable plastic containers to reduce waste and embed circular practices into inflight catering operations. Following a phased pilot in 2025, the initiative transitioned from approximately 170,000 single-use foam boxes per year to 4,000 reusable containers, each reused around 50 times.
Implementation Process: Piloting and Phased Replacement of Single-Use Ice Storage Boxes
To transition from single-use foam ice boxes to reusable plastic containers, Vietnam Airlines implemented a phased approach:
- Pilot phase (June - July 2025): Deployed 1,000 reusable containers with a cost of 180 million VND, testing them on domestic and Southeast Asia routes. The pilot achieved over 80% waste reduction while maintaining stable cooling efficiency and strong user acceptance.
- Evaluation phase (August 2025): Assessed service quality, hygiene standards, logistics handling, and container durability.
- Planned full-scale deployment (Q3 2026): Adjust technical specifications and procurement plans based on pilot results before broader rollout.
To support implementation, the airline allocated investment for reusable containers, cleaning logistics, and staff training to ensure operational readiness. Additionally, risk mitigation measures included thorough pilot testing, supplier quality assurance, and continuous monitoring during the early rollout phase to address quality, hygiene, and performance considerations before scaling.
Measurable Environmental Impact
Pilot trials conducted between November 2024 and October 2025 demonstrated a transition from approximately 170,000 single-use foam (EPS) boxes per year to 4,000 reusable plastic containers, each reused around 50 times (≈200,000 uses).
This reduced annual waste from 34 tons of EPS (expanded polystyrene) to 4.8 tons of HDPE (high-density polyethylene), equivalent to approximately 29.2 tons of waste avoided per year (≈86% reduction). Estimated greenhouse gas reduction amounts to ~11.2 tCO₂e per year, based on EPA WARM Model v15 (2023) emission factors for polystyrene foam containers.
The reusable containers achieve a 100% internal reuse rate within operations and approximately 85% recyclability at the end of life. Additionally, stacking efficiency improved, reducing waste storage space by around 60%.
Embedding Circular Practices into Daily Service Operations
Replacing single-use foam boxes with reusable containers represents a practical step toward circular operations. The initiative introduced structured routines for collection, cleaning, and rotation, integrating environmental responsibility into daily workflows.
The standardized containers reduce ice leakage and enhance operational presentation at airports and catering facilities, aligning with the airline’s 5-star service culture and “Green Operation” roadmap (p.150-157). The pilot also strengthened collaboration between Passenger Services and Catering, laying the groundwork for expanding reuse practices to other operational materials.
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