Sustainability is no longer just about the commitments we make. It's about the decisions we make every day, the evidence behind them and the impact they have on the future of onboard products. 

The aviation industry has made significant strides in recognising the importance of sustainability. Ambitious targets have been set, alternative materials are being explored and environmental considerations are becoming increasingly embedded in business strategies. But as the conversation evolves, an important question remains: are we placing enough focus on the practical decisions that will actually help us achieve these ambitions? 

For the onboard industry, sustainability presents a unique challenge. Every product that enters an aircraft, from amenity kits and tableware to textiles and packaging, has its own environmental footprint. While the finished product may be what passengers see, much of its impact occurs long before it reaches the cabin or after it leaves. Meaningful progress therefore requires looking beyond the product itself, understanding the entire value chain and recognising that what appears to be the more sustainable choice is not always the most effective one. 

At PTP, this thinking is shaping how we approach product development and collaborate with our airline partners. We spoke with Alison Wells, CEO, and Linjing, Sustainability Analyst, to explore how sustainability ambitions can translate into measurable action, the role of data in better product decisions and the challenges the onboard industry must address next. 

Are Sustainability Targets Enough? 

"Meaningful ESG progress is when sustainability starts to influence everyday business decisions." — Linjing, Sustainability Analyst 

Setting sustainability targets is important. They provide direction, establish accountability and communicate a business's long-term ambitions. But targets alone cannot demonstrate progress. For Linjing, the real measure of success is whether sustainability is influencing the decisions a business makes throughout its operations. 

At PTP, this means examining the environmental implications of product sourcing, supplier relationships, manufacturing, packaging and transportation, rather than treating sustainability as an isolated consideration. It also requires a willingness to question existing approaches. Could a different manufacturing process reduce emissions? Are we considering the impact of packaging alongside the product itself? 

Do we have enough information from suppliers to understand where the greatest environmental impacts occur? 

These are the types of questions that help turn broad commitments into practical action. Through closer supplier engagement, improved carbon reporting and more detailed product assessments, PTP is strengthening its understanding of environmental impacts across the supply chain. 

However, Linjing emphasises that collecting information is only valuable when it leads to action. By measuring performance, reviewing results and identifying opportunities for improvement, sustainability becomes a continuous process of informed decision-making rather than a target to be revisited once a year. 

The Importance of Looking Beyond the Finished Product 

When discussing sustainable onboard products, material selection is often the first consideration. Recycled content, alternative fibres and reduced plastic consumption are visible ways to demonstrate progress. But can we really understand how sustainable a product is by looking at its material alone? 

A product's environmental impact is influenced by numerous factors, including how raw materials are sourced, the energy required during manufacturing, transportation distances, packaging, durability and what happens at the end of its useful life. Understanding these considerations together is essential to making genuinely informed decisions. 

One of PTP's key areas of development has been strengthening its supply chain sustainability work, with greater emphasis on understanding supplier emissions, carbon reduction plans and environmental performance. Alongside this, Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) are helping to build a more detailed understanding of the environmental impacts associated with different product options. 

Rather than assuming one material or manufacturing method is inherently better, this information helps identify where the most significant impacts occur and where changes could make a measurable difference. For airlines, this creates an opportunity to make purchasing decisions based on clearer evidence, while recognising that material choice is only one part of a much larger picture. 

As Linjing explains, the objective is not simply to collect more data, but to use it to provide clients with meaningful comparisons and practical recommendations that support their wider sustainability goals. By understanding where environmental impacts occur, airlines and suppliers can work together to identify improvements that are both measurable and realistic. 

Better Products Start with Better Conversations 

"The best way suppliers can support airlines is by combining product know-how with clear, practical evidence." — Alison Wells, CEO 

For airlines, sustainability decisions rarely exist in isolation. Onboard products must meet expectations around quality, functionality, passenger comfort and cost, while also supporting increasingly ambitious environmental commitments. Finding the right balance is not always straightforward. 

A lighter material might reduce the weight of a product, but how does it perform over time? An alternative manufacturing method might offer environmental benefits, but can it meet the operational and commercial requirements of the brief? These considerations highlight why sustainability cannot be assessed independently of the product's intended purpose. 

For Alison, this is where the relationship between airlines and their suppliers becomes particularly valuable. At PTP, creative product development and sustainability assessment are increasingly connected, allowing the team to explore new materials and manufacturing methods while providing evidence to support recommendations. 

Through PTP's LCA programme, carbon data can help airline clients compare alternatives, understand potential environmental trade-offs and support their sustainability tracking and reporting. This approach moves the conversation away from simply asking whether a product is sustainable and encourages a more useful question: how can we improve the environmental performance of this product without compromising what it needs to achieve? 

Sometimes the answer may involve an innovative new material or a completely redesigned product. Other times, it may be a straightforward adjustment to an existing solution, such as reducing unnecessary packaging, reconsidering manufacturing processes or reviewing the weight and durability of a product. The important distinction is that recommendations are supported by evidence rather than assumptions, helping airlines make choices that balance environmental performance with practical requirements. 

The Recycling Question the Industry Cannot Ignore 

Just because a product can be recycled, does that mean it actually will be? 

This is perhaps one of the most important questions facing the onboard industry as it looks towards the next stage of sustainability. In recent years, attention has increasingly focused on replacing single-use plastics, incorporating recycled materials and exploring alternative product solutions. These developments have helped move the conversation forward, but Alison believes the next major challenge is understanding what happens to products once they have served their purpose onboard. 

The reality is that aviation operates within a complex waste management environment. Different destinations, waste handling processes, collection systems and recycling capabilities all influence what can realistically happen to a product after use. A product may be technically recyclable, but without the appropriate infrastructure to collect, sort and process it, that potential may never be realised. 

This creates a disconnect between designing a product with recycling in mind and ensuring that recycling can happen in practice. It also raises a wider question: should we be considering the realities of waste management much earlier in the product development process? 

At PTP, the team is exploring these challenges through conversations with airline clients, research collaborations with academics and engagement with recycling businesses to better understand emerging capabilities. The focus is on building a clearer picture of existing infrastructure, identifying the gaps and understanding where realistic opportunities for improvement may exist. 

For the industry, this is unlikely to be a challenge any one organisation can solve independently. It will require closer collaboration between airlines, suppliers, airports, waste management providers and researchers to develop solutions that work within the realities of airline operations. Because developing a more sustainable product is only one part of the equation. Understanding what happens to that product after its final use is equally important. 

Could the Smallest Decisions Make the Biggest Difference? 

Sustainability is often associated with major breakthroughs, new technologies and large-scale transformation. But what if some of the most valuable opportunities are already sitting within the products we use every day? 

For Alison, everyday product decisions are precisely where meaningful progress can be made over time. At PTP, sustainability forms part of every new product conversation, with lower-carbon alternatives considered wherever they can meet the performance, operational and commercial requirements of the brief. These recommendations are supported by data, helping both PTP and its clients understand the impact of different choices and track improvements. 

Consider the potential of reducing the weight of a piece of tableware, removing unnecessary packaging from an amenity kit or reviewing the manufacturing process behind a frequently used onboard item. Individually, these may seem like modest changes, but when products are supplied in large quantities and used across airline operations, incremental improvements have the potential to contribute to a much greater collective impact. 

Of course, not every alternative will deliver the same environmental benefits, and not every change will be suitable for every airline. The challenge is identifying where improvements can be made without compromising the passenger experience, operational performance or commercial viability. 

This is why measurement matters. Rather than making changes simply because they appear more sustainable, businesses need to understand the evidence behind them and whether they are delivering genuine improvements. As Alison highlights, the key is finding the right balance between carbon impact, functionality and cost. It is this combination of practical thinking and informed decision-making that allows everyday product choices to contribute towards longer-term sustainability ambitions. 

From Ambition to Action: What Comes Next? 

The future of sustainability in the onboard industry will not be defined by a single material, product innovation or environmental commitment. It will be shaped by the decisions made throughout the product lifecycle and the willingness of businesses to work together to address challenges that extend beyond their individual operations. 

For PTP, this means continuing to strengthen supplier engagement, develop more comprehensive product and carbon data, and explore opportunities for improvement through research and collaboration. It also means recognising that meaningful sustainability progress is rarely straightforward. Environmental considerations must be balanced with operational realities, commercial requirements and the expectations of the passenger experience. 

There will be challenges, trade-offs and areas where further research is needed. But these complexities should not prevent progress. Instead, they reinforce the importance of approaching sustainability with transparency, evidence and a commitment to continuous improvement. 

The onboard industry has an opportunity to move beyond discussing what sustainability could look like and focus more closely on what can realistically be achieved. And perhaps that starts with asking better questions. 

Not simply whether a product uses an alternative material, but whether it delivers a measurable environmental benefit. Not simply whether a product is recyclable, but whether the infrastructure exists to recycle it. And not simply whether we have set ambitious targets, but whether the decisions we make today are helping us move towards them. 

Because meaningful sustainability progress isn't defined by the ambition of our targets alone. It's defined by the actions we take to achieve them. 

Explore Our Approach to Sustainability 

At PTP, we believe that informed product decisions, measurable progress and industry collaboration are essential to creating more responsible onboard solutions. 

Discover more about our sustainability journey in our ESG Brochure, or get in touch with our team to discuss how we can support your airline's sustainability ambitions.