Air New Zealand accused of greenwashing by Consumer NZ, airline says allegations are ‘unfair’

Consumer NZ is claiming Air New Zealand is duping passengers with a statement on their in-flight drink cups, alleging is an example of “greenwashing”.

Air New Zealand, however, has hit back at the comments, calling the claims “unfair” but has committed itself to reviewing its waste management process.

Greenwashing is a deceptive form of marketing used by companies to appeal to those who care about their environmental impact and make products, services and practices appear more sustainable than they are.

Consumer NZ said it investigated Air New Zealand’s claim on their in-flight cups which state “made from plants, not plastic”.

Investigative team leader at Consumer NZ Rebecca Styles said she believes the message on the cup “creates an impression the cup has less impact on the planet than a standard cup”.

“While the cups are made from plants – with a bioplastic lining – we think the message creates an impression the cup has less impact on the planet than a standard cup,” Styles said.

Although it’s true the cup can be composted in commercial facilities, there is a short supply of such facilities across New Zealand.

“Air New Zealand told us that only cups from incoming Auckland domestic flights are composted,” Styles said.

“Although these cups are compostable, if they’re chucked into landfill, they are unlikely to break down quickly.”

This means any cups on other flights end up in a landfill and will have a similar environmental impact as standard single-use cups.

Although innovation and an increased focus on sustainability are encouraged by Consumer NZ, it is concerned Kiwis are being misled by “green” claims to appeal to those who care about the environment.

“Our advice to businesses making green claims is to consider the impression their claims will create in peoples’ minds,” Styles said.

“It’s not okay to say that a product is ‘green’ or ‘sustainable’ if it can’t live up to that claim.”

Air New Zealand’s chief sustainability officer, Kiri Hannifin, acknowledged that customers “may have an impression when using these cups they will be disposed of in a sustainable way”.

Air New Zealand's chief sustainability officer, Kiri Hannifin, called the greenwashing claims unfair. Photo / Supplied

Hannifin confirmed Styles’ claims that limited composting infrastructure is the main reason the cups are not always composted but maintains Air New Zealand is committed to becoming a sustainable airline and the cups are a “step in the right direction”.

“We believe they are better than other single-use options while still meeting our inflight operational requirements,” Hannifan said.

“We continue to monitor new product innovations in this space.”

Hannifan said they will be reviewing their waste management strategy later this year with the cups included along with many other onboard items.

“We’ve also got an ambitious roadmap to decarbonise our airline, including being one of only eight airlines in the world to have a science-based target (SBTi), partnering with the Government to explore the feasibility of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in New Zealand and advancing the work globally on green hydrogen, battery electric or hybrid aircraft,” Hannifan said.

Consumer NZ claimed its findings highlight the need for new regulations to combat greenwashing by major companies.

“Our recent investigations have found that there’s no shortage of products spouting environmental claims,” Styles said.

“One of the issues with greenwashing is it can be near impossible for a shopper to identify what is genuinely sustainable, and what is not.”

Overseas, watchdogs have found 40 to 50 per cent of environmental claims made by companies in the EU, UK, and Australia are false. New laws are in the works to prevent companies from doing this.

Styles is calling for the same here and said we are “lagging behind our international counterparts”.

“Together we can put an end to this deception.”