We all know we should be doing our bit for the environment – now more than ever. But while we can recycle and save energy at home as individuals, the real difference makers will always be large companies. One such company leading the way in the aviation industry is Hi Fly, who over Christmas became the first jet-age passenger flight to operate completely without any single-use plastics.

Yes, an Airbus A340 carried 700 passengers from Lisbon to Natal in Brazil in a trial run on 27th December. Instead of plastics, Hi Fly provided passengers with the likes of bamboo cutlery, compostable packaging and other eco-friendly materials which can be readily composted.

It’s the first time a passenger flight has operated with single-use plastic. Though items replaced naturally included plastic-free cutlery, cups and plates, other items such as sick bags, bedding packaging, individual butter portions, beverage bottles and toothbrushes were also catered for.

“Our corporate mission is based around sustainability and we work hand in glove with the Mirpuri Foundation to make sure that our corporate practices match our wider responsibilities to the planet,” stated President Paulo Mirpuri. Hi Fly have said they will roll out three more test flights without synthetic material in the coming days, which they say will cut out 350 kilograms of plastic within the trial flights alone.

With over 100,000 flights taking off globally each day – a total of nearly four billion passengers – and the number expected to double again in less than 20 years, the potential to make a difference here is clearly huge. And while aviation may never be truly ‘environmentally friendly’, cutting plastic is certainly a step in the right direction.

Find out more over at the Hi Fly Website.

Last year, Birmingham’s first ever zero waste shop officially opened at the Custard Factory. Called ‘The Clean Kilo’, the everyday-use shop uses virtually no plastic packaging and customers can bring their own reusable containers.