Iberia launches “LIFE Zero Cabin Waste” on board of its Spanish flights

• Iberia, Ecoembes, Ferrovial Servicios, Gate Gourmet, and ESCI-UPF have joined to recover 80% of waste produced in aircraft cabins for recycling.

• Already operational on Madrid-Barcelona shuttle and other domestic and European routes including London, Rome, and Paris. It will gradually be extended to all Spanish domestic and European flights operated by the airline.

Iberia, Ecoembes, Ferrovial Servicios, Gate Gourmet and ESCI-UPF have taken another step with the LIFE Zero Cabin Waste project towards their goal of making flights more sustainable through recycling. The project was launched in October with the separation of waste aboard some Iberia flights. The project is partly sponsored by the EU's LIFE environmental programme.  

The system is already in operation on some of Iberia’s Spanish routes, including the Madrid-Barcelona air shuttle, and flight to Bilbao, and Corunna. It has also been deployed on routes from Madrid to London, Rome, Paris, Geneva, Zurich, Vienna, Düsseldorf, and  Oporto. Iberia plans to extend it to all Spanish and European routes

The plan involves the separation of waste plastic, metal, paper, and carton in different containers during flights, so that they can be delivered separately at airports for recycling.

The recycling process is overseen by the Spanish non-profit recycling company Ecoembes and by the ESCI-UPF business school, using life-cycle analysis and other “circular economy” concepts.

Meanwhile, Ferrovial Servicios is developing an alternative treatment for organic waste produced during non-EU and long-haul flights, so that it too can be recycled.

Aim: Recover 80% of Cabin Waste

The project is intended to benefit the environment by recovering some 80% of all waste generated during flights through recycling, composting, conversion to energy, etc.

Iberia’s initiative may be emulated by other European airlines, and to that end a manual of procedures is now under preparation. IATA estimates that globally, some 5.7 million tonnes of cabin waste are produced each year on board of commercial aircraft.