Sustainability has been embraced by nearly every industry—from retail to energy, automotive to professional services, health care to higher education. Facility managers worldwide are challenged with how to support their organization’s vision to be a good corporate citizen.
The airline industry is no exception. As consumers become better versed on carbon footprint, water usage and air quality issues, airlines are becoming increasingly aggressive in taking steps to minimize their impact on local communities. For instance, several airlines have announced that they are studying their impact on the environment. Three airports in Europe recently announced that they are working with the Global Reporting Initiative—a global leader in sustainability measurement and reporting—to establish social and environmental reporting guidelines for airports. In December 2006, the National Resource Defense Council published a report of airlines’ environmental impact, bringing even more attention to the industry.
As one of the world’s leading airlines, Delta Air Lines has been engaged in environmental and sustainability efforts for more than 10 years. It has launched several initiatives for engaging its customers and employees in green efforts. Many of these initiatives rely on the participation and support of many operational functions, including flight crews, ramp personnel, facility management and maintenance teams. Delta’s efforts have yielded important findings that can provide useful guidance and lessons for facility managers looking to build or enhance their own green efforts.
Defining the vision
In 1997, Delta Air Lines began to centralize many of its environmental efforts under a single environmental services department. The department is responsible for formalizing the company’s commitment to reduce its impact on air, water and land quality. It also set forth to reduce its use of chemicals where possible and to ensure regulatory compliance. The team has partnered with multiple departments on initiatives for compliance and community involvement. Over time, the team’s efforts grew to respond to customer and employee requests to further reduce waste and conserve resources.
Today, Delta has instituted several environmental initiatives that include:
- A carbon offset program which allows customers to contribute to the offset of carbon emissions associated with air travel by donating to The Conservation Fund—a leading environmental nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting land and water resources.
- Product enhancement to introduce more biodegradable and environmentally friendly products onto aircraft.
- Fuel and water conservation initiatives.
- Use of zero-emission, electric vehicles and ground support equipment.
- Support of a next-generation Air Traffic Control system that would provide more direct aircraft routing to help reduce carbon emissions.
One of the most frequently requested initiatives was to introduce a formal recycling program for materials generated onboard Delta’s aircraft. This also proved to be one of the most challenging to implement. Recycling is highly favored by customers and communities. It is a very visible demonstration of the company’s environmental commitment. Recycling is also popular among Delta’s employees. Many flight attendants had engaged in the recycling of aluminum cans through several grassroots efforts.
However, because a formally organized program with strong process control and communication had not been implemented, many employees became discouraged—feeling that their efforts were not having a significant impact. Implementing such a program was challenging because cabin care, customer care and trash management each had unique missions and goals and had separate reporting structures.
The environmental services team saw this as an excellent opportunity for improvement for the benefit of operations, customer relations and community involvement.
Building momentum
As the team began to outline its plans for a recycling program, it had two main goals: to identify processes that would not add ground time to flights and to create a process that was seamless with other processes already in place. To do that, the team needed to engage various operations crews to evaluate what systems were already in place. Then they had to determine its ability to tailor these systems to support the company’s recycling objectives.
Delta conducted a survey of its aircraft to determine which materials were being discarded once customers deplaned. The survey found considerable waste in the form of aluminum cans, plastic trays, cups and newsprint. Delta approached ARAMARK with its findings and requested its recommendation for the best way to implement a program.
As cabin service provider for Delta, ARAMARK performs many duties for the company’s aircraft, including ramp services, cabin cleaning and waste disposal. ARAMARK had long been a supporter of flight attendants’ grassroots recycling efforts but saw many of those efforts dwindle as flight attendant duties changed and processes were not clearly communicated between flight crews, cabin service crews and airport locations.
Together, Delta and ARAMARK studied the processes for handling trash once it left the aircraft. They quickly found that those processes were different, depending on whether trash was removed by catering service or by cabin service crews. ARAMARK helped to identify new processes for storing recyclable items on the aircraft for pick-up by the cabin service team—one that did not add to the workload of flight attendants nor add to the time required by cabin services to prepare the aircraft for its next flight.
ARAMARK helped Delta identify best processes to coordinate with recycling companies to meet the requirements of the location. ARAMARK also assisted in communications with airport personnel to ensure vendors and processes met with the airports’ requirements. This proved to be no small feat, as processes and specifications vary from airport to airport. ARAMARK also supported communications to crews and other stakeholders throughout the organization to ensure adoption of the program into Delta’s culture, clarity of processes and understanding of roles.
Measuring success
On June 1, 2007, Delta became the first U.S. airline to launch a comprehensive recycling program for domestic flights into Atlanta, Ga. The program was quickly rolled out to six additional locations. The company plans to introduce the program into 30 more locations by the end of 2008.
Flight attendants initially collect aluminum cans, plastic bottles, plastic trays, plastic beverage cups, newspapers and magazines. ARAMARK’s cabin service crews, along with catering, are then responsible for taking these materials and placing them into clearly labeled recycling containers.
Seven months after the launch of the program, there were no reports of additional ground time due to the process. With the assistance of ARAMARK, Delta’s flight attendants and catering crews, the program successfully recycled 148 tons of material in 2007.
The importance of strong partnerships
The program required the coordination of 12 distinct internal organizations, business partners and executive supporters.
The essential first step toward success in the program was conducting a complete analysis of processes already in existence. Knowing what is already in place, facility managers can more readily identify how those processes can be altered to achieve their goals.
Equally as important was the ability to partner to gain access to a broader range of insights and experience, as well as to build an infrastructure that was successful, repeatable and measurable.
It is also important to look at those processes from the perspective of all stakeholders. For example, cabin service crews vary from location to location and usually have different processes for managing cabin care and waste disposal. Airports also vary in the resources and vendors they provide to airlines, as well as the capability of those resources to manage a new program. However, flight attendants travel from city to city, and require a single unified system for managing their duties so they are not distracted from their primary responsibility—passenger safety.
Because of these variables, it is often best to start with a single location, or a small number of locations, to test, adjust and manage the program.
Extending its wings
Delta and ARAMARK remain focused on continuous measurement and communication with one another and with flight and cabin service crews. Recycling processes are covered during preflight briefings and flight attendants know that rebates received from recycling are donated to Habitat for Humanity and Delta’s Force for Global Good. The partners have also had local events and celebrations to thank crews for their participation and support. Delta has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers and employees alike and is looking forward to extending the program’s reach to further reduce the company’s environmental impact on communities nationwide. FMJ
About the authors
Jennifer Otenti is project manager, environmental health for Delta Air Lines, responsible for managing the airlines’ RCRA Waste and Recycling programs. She holds REM and CESM certifications with the National Registry of Environmental Professionals.
Matt Keahey is vice president, operations for ARAMARK Aviation Services, responsible for managing the aviation line of business and the world’s largest cabin service operation with Delta Air Lines in Atlanta, Ga.
