2025 Winner: Most Impactful Solution Catering
Recognized as a winner in The Most Impactful Solution – Catering at the 2025 The Aviation Challenge, Kenya Airways scaled the elimination of single-use plastics in inflight catering from a pilot initiative to full network implementation across domestic, regional, and intercontinental operations.
Implementation Process: Embedding Plastic-Free Catering Across the Full Network
From November 2024 to October 2025, Kenya Airways scaled its single-use plastic elimination initiative from pilot phase to full implementation across domestic, regional, and intercontinental operations. The program now covers 100% of inflight catering, removing single-use plastic service items from all flights.
To embed the transition into standard operations, the airline established structured governance and cross-functional coordination. Monthly monitoring tracks plastic avoidance, crew compliance, waste sorting performance, and recycling revenue. Over 1,000 cabin crews were trained as ‘Sustainability Champions’, supported by six-month refresher training and iLearn micro-learning modules for new crew from 2025.
Procurement teams at Kenya Airways worked closely with NAS Servair to diversify suppliers, helping maintain price stability and reduce sourcing risk.
Monthly recycling contracts were established with Chandaria Industries, while quarterly audits addressed stock availability, passenger feedback, and waste management bottlenecks. Ongoing pilots continue to test compostable packaging and digitized menus.
The network-wide rollout avoids over 330 tons of plastic annually and generates more than KES 50 million in procurement and disposal savings.
Measurable Impact: Annual Plastic Elimination and Cost Savings Across the Network
Kenya Airways eliminated approximately 336.8 tons of plastic waste annually, including 42 tons from plastic cups, 86 tons from cutlery, 16.8 tons from PET soda bottles, and 192 tons from replacing plastic food trays with aluminum containers.
Financially, the initiative delivers KES 30 million in savings from PET bottle replacement and KES 20 million from cutlery replacement, alongside over KES 420,000 in monthly revenue from the sale of 700 kg of used paper cups. Additional savings are generated through the shift to aluminum trays due to lower procurement costs and recyclability.
By Q3 2025, the solution was implemented across 100% of Kenya Airways flights, with all economy-class food packaging transitioned to fully recyclable aluminum trays and aligned with sorting and recycling systems at the NAS Servair catering hub.
Additional Impact: Enhancing Passenger Experience Through Visible Sustainability
Beyond quantified waste and cost reductions, the initiative reshaped the inflight experience by making sustainability visible to passengers through changes such as bamboo cutlery, canned beverages, and woven bread baskets. Crew feedback indicated improved service flow and increased pride in delivering environmentally responsible service.
Industry Learnings: Scaling Plastic-Free Catering Through Operational Integration
Kenya Airways’ transition from pilot phase to full network implementation demonstrates how eliminating single-use plastic can be embedded into standard inflight catering operations through alternative materials, structured crew training, and supplier alignment. The case illustrates a practical model for integrating environmental progress with financial performance and passenger-facing visibility.
The initiative provides a replicable pathway for airlines seeking to align material substitution, crew engagement, and circular supply chain practices at scale.
For more information, visit The Aviation Challenge website.
