Spotlight: Sustainability & Perishable Wastage in the Air Cargo Market

It’s no secret that many industries are focussing on sustainable solutions and how to reduce both tangible and intangible wastage. When it comes to the air cargo market, we are no different. For many, many years, the market has maintained its ‘status quo’ and rolled out the same solutions, day in day out. However, we can no longer ignore that inefficiencies must be addressed. 

The state of our Global environmental footprint as Humans has been in question for years, however when COVID-19 came along and shook up how all markets are operating, many suppliers, manufacturers and partners started to readdress their own operations and how their wasted time, money and resources could be saved.

So, what’s the issue?

Rumour has it that 28-30% of all food produced is lost in the supply chain before it even reaches the consumers table, which translates to roughly 1.3 billion tonnes of weight per year. The World Travel Catering Expo states that “food waste is business waste” and explains how in 2015 ‘all UN member states adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes the goal of halving per capita food waste by the end of this decade.’ Now we know this article is discussing an alternative segment of the airline industry, yet the sentiment applies. If perishables are not insulated correctly, trillions of dollars could be wasted each year.

Furthermore, IATA states how important it is to ‘support the simplification and harmonization of waste regulations and promote technical solutions that will reduce industry costs and contribute to the circular economy.’ We couldn’t agree more. To understand this issue further, let’s dive into the research…

Now, let’s discuss how the ‘Linear Economy’ concept vs a  ‘Circular Economy’ concept seems to encapsulate this perishable waste in the Air Cargo market well. A linear economy translates as a ‘take, make, use, dispose’ system, whereby products (or perishable goods in this case) are seen as fit for consumption and are then disposed of. This concept generates huge levels of waste and greenhouse gas emissions from consistent resource pooling and production. Alternatively, in a Circular Economy’, all levels of the supply chain are focussed on designing out the concept of waste, in turn providing environmental and economic benefits. When approaching your own supply chain with a ‘circular’ mindset, we see a reduction in the environmental impacts of production and consumption.

Don’t get us wrong, we cannot prevent all food wastage with one solution, however we can play a vital role in reducing losses and claims with better, easier to use products which are designed for purpose.

Ok ok, so we’ve brought the ‘doom and gloom’ with the problems. What’s the solution?! We hear you cry! Well, stay tuned for part two in this three-part series on Sustainability & Perishable Wastage in the Air Cargo Market.