Qantas replacing plastic with wooden cutlery

[justinbrett]

Too much washing up. More expensive to purchase (at least initial outlay).

The environmental damage from producing and shipping the wooden cutlery would no doubt exceed using metal (they have metal cutlery so thin now it would be not much heavier than wood).

But like everything in this area it's all about PR and not actually the climate. We're just swapping one single use product for another.

 

[Ade]

But like everything in this area it's all about PR and not actually the climate. We're just swapping one single use product for another.

My sentiments exactly !

Most of the organisations (regardless of the industry) are doing things just to show off and not with an ounce of genuine interest in the environment/climate. Some orgs may do, but most don't ...

 

[Vic]

They've said FSC certified? Why Should I Buy FSC Certified Wooden Furniture?

If it's this stuff, FSC certified birchwood - sustainably harvested... so the source of the timber is ok. It will still biodegrade adn release carbon
Still maybe the bioplastic would be better

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Personal opinion - hate the wooden cutlery. I have had some very bad experience using wooden cutlery and try to stay away from it as much as I can ...

The idea of wooden cutlery "sounds" great, but I'm not entirely sure if the "experience" part of the meal is considered when coming up with such decisions.

​

I'm not sure Qantas Economy meals are high on my list of dining experiences...
Last time I had one it was slop in a box.

 

[justinbrett]

They've said FSC certified? Why Should I Buy FSC Certified Wooden Furniture?

If it's this stuff, FSC certified birchwood - sustainably harvested... so the source of the timber is ok. It will still biodegrade adn release carbon
Still maybe the bioplastic would be better

BioPak Australia | Market Leaders in Sustainable Packaging

Award-winning plant-based compostable packaging that puts the planet first. Our focus is on innovation and customer service excellence. We design for the circular economy. Our products are carbon neutral and made from sustainably sourced, rapidly renewabl

www.biopak.com.au

I'm not sure Qantas Economy meals are high on my list of dining experiences...
Last time I had one it was slop in a box.

Still the manufacturing, packaging, shipping and disposal.

 

[Spongbob]

"... the wood absorbs the moisture from the food and starts to impart it's own taste to the meal."

That is why you need to match your food with wine, say something with oak overtones?

 

[Vic]

Still the manufacturing, packaging, shipping and disposal.

Of course, but that applies equally to any disposable cutlery...

 

[Hvr]

"... the wood absorbs the moisture from the food and starts to impart it's own taste to the meal."

That is why you need to match your food with wine, say something with oak overtones?

So for Coke no sugar maybe balsa wood?

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

SA banned many single use products a while ago. Long before the eastern states. And then came covid and plastic disposable masks. Sigh. I loathe the straws that Hungry Jacks have. Awful.

OT psychologically colourful though even if its just thick paper.

 

[jb747]

Think of the safety implications of the splinters.

 

[Tag2305]

All the metal cutlery was removed after 911, corkscrews, carving knives, etc.

 

[dajop]

All the metal cutlery was removed after 911, corkscrews, carving knives, etc.

I don’t think so.

Lots of metal cutlery used in premium cabins the world over.

Edit; I think it may have been removed temporarily in many instances, but returned.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

SA banned many single use products a while ago. Long before the eastern states. And then came covid and plastic disposable masks. Sigh. I loathe the straws that Hungry Jacks have. Awful.

OT - just saw my first non-plastic bread clip/tag

 

[Laptop Jockey]

All the metal cutlery was removed after 911, corkscrews, carving knives, etc.

Most airlines, if not all, use metal utensils in business and first class still. Presumably because terrorists only fly economy?

I'd be really interested to see the modelling for metal vs wood utensils factoring in theft and washing costs, both for cost but also end-to-end environmental impact. Given that they already have to industrially wash J's metal utensils, I doubt the machines are so small they couldn't do it for Y's also.
I suspect this is just feel-good greenwashing, like the "reusable" plastic bags that will never be reused enough to compensate for the increased material input and carbon footprint.
I noticed a few months ago McDonald's switched back to plastic straws too which I thought was interesting, presumably following customer complaints?

 

[wombatpatties]

Just thought......watch out for the splinters and rafters!

 

[Lat34]

OT - just saw my first non-plastic bread clip/tag

At my local supermarket this afternoon ... from Tip Top.

Back on topic, who can remember Senator Amanda Vanstone's comments that the use of plastic cutlery on planes to thwart terrorism was foolhardy: “Has it ever occurred to you that you just smash your wine glass and jump at someone, grab the top of their head and put it in their carotid artery ...?”

 

[2infinity]

I would have thought this whole thread was a mute point. I can't remember the last time I was ever given cutlery in domestic economy. You usually just get offered something in a box or plastic wrapper that you eat from your hand. My most recent 2 flights in just the last week was a chocolate and oat slice (finger food) and a chicken and mushroom pie (again, hand held). I've only ever seen cutlery domestically in business now for the last quite number of years.

 

[Laptop Jockey]

I would have thought this whole thread was a mute point. I can't remember the last time I was ever given cutlery in domestic economy. You usually just get offered something in a box or plastic wrapper that you eat from your hand. My most recent 2 flights in just the last week was a chocolate and oat slice (finger food) and a chicken and mushroom pie (again, hand held). I've only ever seen cutlery domestically in business now for the last quite number of years.

Depends on the length of the flight and the time of day. Flights to Darwin (~4h) definitely had plastic cutlery. I'm wracking my brain for shorter routes, but they definitely still offer hot sloppy meals in Y domestic as recently as late July.

 

[Ade]

mushroom pie

Actually, I remember once flying Y, I was given a quiche. I asked the FA for cutlery. She didn't give me a "look" per se, but I sensed hesitation from her for like a nano-second and then she said "sure, let me get you cutlery. Would you like anything else?" I'm sure she'd have thought something to the effect of who is this guy, why does he need cutlery for a quiche etc etc ...

I, for one, prefer to use cutlery (metal/plastic/wood) when I eat food ... within reason of course, I wouldn't ask cutlery for a cookie. But I have always preferred to have cutlery provided alongside food.

I come from a culture where cutlery is hardly used ... like never for eating, but only for serving food ... even when we eat in restaurants .. we always use our hands to eat .. (I know everyone "uses" their hands to eat food, but you know what I mean) ... so when I meet with friends from my country living in AU, they still use their hands to eat, but I ask for cutlery and they all give me the "look" and say "come on use your hands to eat. Just because you have lived here for a while, doesn't mean you have to use spoon & fork to eat rice & curry"

 

[2infinity]

Depends on the length of the flight and the time of day. Flights to Darwin (~4h) definitely had plastic cutlery. I'm wracking my brain for shorter routes, but they definitely still offer hot sloppy meals in Y domestic as recently as late July.

You're probably right. Flights were CNS - BNE (9am departure), so just a snack. And BNE - CNS (8pm departure - this was a dinner service). The flights are over 2hrs. I don't recall anything more than similar food options CNS - SYD, which is over 3hrs. Only other flight over this length in recent memory was SYD - PER but was in business, so I had metal cutlery. So maybe cutlery for the long services and just finger food for everything else?

 

[RichardMEL]

OT but yesterday I stopped by one of my regular spots for a noodle lunch. Normally they give me wood chopsticks but for whatever reason I got given a wooden fork.... the experience was... not very pleasant tbh. I don't know why but it did affect my experience somehow. maybe it was the texture or a feeling that I could somehow taste a bit of the wood somehow? I dunno. it was a bit unexpected. I'm sure i could get used to it, and I am all for reducing single use plastics (when I am asked if I want cutlery with take away which I am going to consume at home I say no thank you and use my own) but this was a... weird... experience.