Awareness of sustainability is a key priority of SWISS’s values. Unnecessary waste is to be prevented as often as possible. For this reason, SWISS initiated a pilot project last year that allows amenity kits and linen items to be transferred into a circular loop.

So far, amenity kits had been added to the regular waste stream. Now, amenity kits from inbound flights are collected separately by the cleaning provider and then thoroughly inspected. Unused and still closed amenity kits are returned to the regular circulation and are loaded back on board. Used amenity kits are sent for recycling. This way, 5.8 tons of aluminum and 200 kg of carton can be recycled annually. SWISS First’s amenity kits go to a institution for disabled people, where they are cleaned and refilled.

Linen items also previously had to be disposed within in the regular waste system. Since this year, a process has been set up with partner TEXAID in which the defective goods are collected from the catering at the end of their lifecycle and transferred to TEXAID. There, all relevant SWISS labels are removed. The goods are then sorted to determine whether they can be recycled or downcycled. In the case of recycling, the original fibers (e.g. cotton) are recovered and reused; in the case of downcycling, the material is transformed into a second-use material such as cleaning cloths or insulation material. As a result, more than 4.3 tons of linen items can be recycled each year.

With these processes, SWISS is taking a further important step toward circularity and waste reduction.