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A 360 approach The design team at deSter is spearheading a circular economy for aviation food packaging and equipment. Jo Austin discovers more
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or the last three years deSter’s ‘deStudio’ has been fully focused on developing sustainable products. Its 360-degree approach is designed to optimise every product's entire lifecycle recognising that every decision carries consequences, and that some well-meaning changes may have unintended impacts.
Circular thinking
The company has focused on the Circular Economy Guidelines created by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, and its sustainability mission is to ensure that by 2025 its whole portfolio is solely comprised of products that fit the circular economy. This approaches focuses on two key areas: plastic-free solutions such as fibre-based products and those made from compostable materials; and closed loop recycling processes. To underscore its commitment, deSter has developed an ECD (Environmentally Conscious Design) philosophy which is applied across the design process from start to finish. Having its own in-house manufacturing facilities worldwide helps it control the complete process.
Onboard
A fully closedloop rotable solution is already
in operation for one large EU carrier product's carbon footprint. where used products are recycled to A 100% bio-based version of the be re-manufactured into the same SAS Cube is now onboard using a products again. The redesigned tray FSC certified cardboard solution and provides 830 tonnes of weight savings bio-based cutlery. It will achieve an a year and removes overall yearly weight the need for traymats reduction of 9.7 hence creating a tonnes and 15% CO2 further 47 tonnes reduction per year. An environmentally weight saving. And deSter also conscious design claims to have philosophy is Fibrepulp onboarded the applied across the One key industry’s first plasticdevelopment has free paper cup, for design process come through Transavia, with no a new partnership with Pulpac, plastic liner on the inside. a Swedish R&D company. deSter Next up will be the launch of natural is developing and manufacturing cutlery onboard. deSter's new product fibrepulp based single use will be soil and marine biodegradable, products and is committed to degrading faster than wood and using local sourcing of FSC-certified material which does not affect the taste. wood fibres. Production in-house, It is set to be the first onboard that in global locations close to each fully complies with the SUP directive. customer, further reduces the environmentallyconsciousdesign.com • onboardhospitality.com
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