American Airlines Cargo nearly doubles yearly plastic waste reduction with Bionatur Plastics partnership

American Airlines Cargo announces impressive results following continued partnership with BioNatur Plastics as its sustainable supplier of biodegradable plastic products for use in cargo operations. The partnership began in 2022, first enabling the carrier to reduce its yearly long-term traditional plastic waste by the equivalent of 6.4 million plastic water bottles. In 2024, American replaced more than 274,000 lbs. of traditional plastic used across its network with the BioNatur line which resulted in a yearly reduction of long-term plastic waste by the equivalent of 12.6 million plastic water bottles – a nearly 100% increase compared to when the partnership began.

BioNatur Plastics aims to provide eco-conscious alternatives to traditional plastics without compromising on quality or performance. They supply biodegradable and 100% recyclable plastic products with all the functionality of traditional plastic, but BioNatur’s products do not break down into micro-plastics and instead biodegrade in a landfill environment within 8 to 12 years.

American currently uses BioNatur plastic at most of its U.S. hubs, as well as at smaller domestic stations and in Latin America, with plans to continue expanding use of the biodegradable plastic across all operations in place of traditional plastic. Distributed by M&G Packaging, BioNatur plastic product uses include lower deck pallet covers, heavy duty poly sheeting, stretch wrap, bottom sheeting and plastic covers – all which are an important part of the building process for Unit Loading Devices, or ULDs.

“We have a strong and successful partnership with BioNatur Plastics, and I’m pleased to see how much our efforts to migrate more of our operations plastic use to their biodegradable products is helping us reduce our long-term waste and overall footprint,” says Greg Schwendinger, President, American Airlines Cargo. “To see the progress over just three years shows how implementing sustainable practices can truly make a difference. We look forward to continuing to work toward a green future.”

Chris Paladino, President of BioNatur Plastics adds, “American continues to be a leader in sustainability and we are proud to have supported the cargo team as they more than doubled their impact in 2024. BioNatur’s biodegradable and recyclable plastics are ideal for cargo that is being distributed around the world. We look forward to an even bigger 2025.”