Our addiction to needless packaging has gone sky-high
As a frequent flyer on Thai Airways’ domestic routes, I am puzzled by how the airline is tackling the environmental issue.
After Thai Smile took over major domestic routes as the budget arm of THAI, onboard refreshments were handed out in a nicely printed polythene bag with colourful drawstring. Unlike the majority of passengers who left the bags as garbage, I took mine home and reused them.
More than a year later I was pleased to see the airline replace the polythene with a printed paper bag. But inside the bag, along with a bottle of water and tissue paper, was another container – a foldable paper sandwich box printed with the words “Thai Smile saves the World – No bleach was used to make this box” and “Printed with soy ink”. Of course, passengers discarded the box after just 10 minutes when the flight attendant collected the garbage.
Why would an airline claim to want to save the world but at the same time needlessly create instant garbage on every flight? Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to change the box’s wording to “Thai Smile helps the economy by creating jobs for the printer, the soy bean farmers and garbage collectors”?
I have no intention to embarrass the airline’s management. But every time I see cabin crew stuffing the bags into the trash I feel dismay at this unnecessary and easily avoidable waste.
Yingwai Suchaovanich
