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We recognize that Sustainable Aviation Fuel has the biggest role to play in the reduction of carbon emissions, however one cannot disregard the impact and contribution of inflight services in this effort. ASF’s role is to objectively assist its forum members to integrate sustainability principles related to inflight services into their organization business strategy in the most transparent possible manner
For our planet. For our communities. For future generations.
Knowledge. Collaboration. Insights.
For passengers. For the industry. For our world.
We are inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and we commit ourselves to support change in the products and services offered to passengers across the aviation sector to protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere.
“Each year, an estimated one third of all food produced – equivalent to 1.3 billion tonnes worth around $1 trillion – ends up rotting in the bins of consumers and retailers, or spoiling due to poor transportation and harvesting practices.”
How can we as an industry work share and adopt responsible consumption and production best practices?
“Climate change is affecting every country on every continent. It is disrupting national economies and affecting lives. Weather patterns are changing, sea levels are rising, and weather events are becoming more extreme.”
What kind of standards can we adopt as an industry to minimize our contribution to carbon dioxide (CO2) levels and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere?
“Saving our ocean must remain a priority. Marine biodiversity is critical to the health of people and our planet. Marine protected areas need to be effectively managed and well-resourced and regulations need to be put in place to reduce overfishing, marine pollution and ocean acidification”
What can we do as an industry to protect marine life with our menu planning, procurement practices and elimination of plastic initiatives?
Around 1 million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction – many within decades – according to the 2019 Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service. The report called for transformative changes to restore and protect nature. It found that the health of ecosystems on which we and all other species depend is deteriorating more rapidly than ever, affecting the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide.
What can we do as an industry to protect life on land with our menu planning, procurement practices and elimination of plastic initiatives?
A successful development agenda requires inclusive partnerships — at the global, regional, national and local levels — built upon principles and values, and upon a shared vision and shared goals placing people and the planet at the centre.
Our industry has a role to play in the development agenda. We recognise the effects that production, logistics, and consumption of onboard catering and amenities have to the environment and pledge to work together cooperatively to mitigate any negative impacts.
This dedicated team have come together through their common purpose to drive meaningful change in our industry and to establish the ASF as a leading voice for sustainability in inflight service.
I am a serial entrepreneur and have run or been involved in start-up enterprises for the past 25 years:
In 2004 I founded Monty’s Bakehouse which was one of the first companies to see the environmental benefit and commercial opportunity of sustainably sourced disposable packaging for the aviation sector versus the comparative high levels of emissions of reusable serviceware. Over the past 18 years, Monty’s Bakehouse has expanded its product supply globally and is now part of the SATS Group of catering and food companies based in Singapore and across Asia.
Innovation and increasingly sustainability and environmental impact are integral to my approach to business and the Aviation Sustainability Forum which we established in 2019 seeks to bring the entire aviation sector to collaborate and identify standard solutions we can all adopt that will reduce the amount of inflight cabin waste, ensure we are sourcing products and materials sustainably and that these are optimised for harmonised waste management practice that supports the case for aviation waste regulation changes.
In addition to my work with the ASF I am now the Group Head of Innovation for SATS Food Solutions Global Innovation Centre and am responsible for the management of our innovation hubs in both Singapore and the UK and the development of new product and packaging concepts across SATS Group.
David Young joins the Aviation Sustainability Forum as its inaugural President following a long career in the Aviation industry. He has extensive global experience in airline sustainability, onboard and catering services and product supply that uniquely supports our industry objectives.
In his most recent corporate role David was Executive Manager Sustainability and Future Planet for the Qantas Group where he led the airline’s Net Zero Emissions strategy , sustainable aviation fuel, waste and carbon offset activities. He has also sat on the Environment and Sustainability Board of the oneworld alliance , the IATA Sustainability Council and the Board of BioEnergy Australia.
In recent months David has also been working with the Greencollar Group one of Australia’s largest land based carbon project developers on new and innovative carbon abatement projects and with the oneworld alliance in supporting alliance airline partners Sustainability and ESG strategies.
Many will know David from previous roles as Executive Manager Commercial for Qantas Loyalty, Chief Operating Officer of Qantas Catering , Managing Director of Watermark Products and Head of Inflight Services for Qantas, Air New Zealand and Ansett Australia.
He is also a former Chairman and President of the International Travel Catering Association ( ITCA ) now integrated with WTCE.
I am an airline industry expert with over 30 years of experience the in airline industry – 10 years with Gate Gourmet in Zürich and Hong Kong and 20 years with Swissair, Swiss and British Airways overseeing their global Catering Operations, developing and leading their Product & Service Strategy and ensuring that the Customer Experience reflects their DNA.
I am now an independent consultant focusing on sustainability, as well as a partner within The Hayward Partnership, a Board Member of the IFSA Foundation. Currently working with FORMIA on their path to sustainability, I have a developed a good understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved, and the benefits of stakeholder collaboration in achieving sustainable goals.
I firmly believe that environmentally friendly travel is possible when all parties involved are willing to join up to make significant changes necessary to reduce our collective footprint. It is not a one-off, but a journey, and one I’m very happy to be a part of.
I have enjoyed a management career of over 40 years with hands-on experience that has included roles in the Hospitality and Institutional sectors, Global Supply Chain management for leading food service brands, and nearly 20 years as a senior executive with gategroup, the world’s largest independent aviation services provider.
In 2013 I founded my own business venture in the UK in order to offer consultancy and advice on strategy development, and territory expansion as well as providing executive leadership in support of several food, service, travel, and lifestyle brands.
I place a high value on a business, or organisation’s, capacity to change for the better and to readily embrace the importance of being a responsible and sustainable model which can, and will, address the challenges of future proofing the planet, and our communities for the longest term.
I have worked in onboard product businesses since graduating with a languages degree in 1998. Starting out in Watermark Products in account management before quickly becoming Operations Director as the company grew both organically and through acquisition.
I worked on the integration of many of the acquired businesses as well as pulling together the Encompass programme which was one of the first total ‘above the wing’ product and service solutions. In 2005, I became Managing Director of Watermark Asia where I stayed until my daughter was born and 6 months later we decided to return to the UK.
In 2008 I set up Plane Talking Products with my business partner, John Caulcutt. Our ethos was and still is, to be exactly as the name suggests – easy to do business with, nimble and agile and using all our years of experience in the design, development and supply of onboard products to help and guide our clients.
In recent years we have turned our focus to supplying more sustainable products and part of being able to do that is really understanding where the products come from and more importantly where they end their life – a part of the supply chain that we have not really been involved in previously. This is where I see the value in joining the ASF – pooling our knowledge and expertise with others in the same supply chain to really push the sustainable agenda forward.
Karen brings over 30 years of extensive senior leadership experience from the airline sector. As a qualified accountant and a CIPS procurement professional, she has held leading roles in Finance and Procurement, and most recently as Head of Global Supply Chain for British Airways, spanning inflight product, inflight retail and colleague uniforms.
Her expertise lies in leading the development and delivery of strategic, transformational change in complex, operational business environments and she has successfully led many significant airline product and premium cabin launches, working alongside many prestigious brands.
In April 2022, Karen was recognised in the Top 100 Women in Supply Chain global list, by Supply Chain Digital for “shaping the future of supply chain and logistics”. High on her agenda is a deep commitment to finding more sustainable products and practices which can be implemented at all touch points across the aviation sector.
Karen has a passion for people, having been both a mentee and a mentor with the Moving Ahead organisation, the world’s largest cross- company mentoring programme aiming to increase gender diversity at board and executive committee levels.
Now an independent consultant and Onboard Hospitality Award Judge, she is delighted to be able to work with the ASF on its sustainability journey, and contribute towards a goal which is very close to her heart.
Dr Vicky Lofthouse is the Sustainability Advisor to the Aviation Sustainability Forum. She holds a PhD in Sustainable Design Implementation from Cranfield University and has held academic teaching positions at both Cranfield University and Loughborough University within the field of Sustainable Design Innovation and Circularity.
Vicky has been a keynote speaker on the topic of sustainability at international events in UK, Mexico, Columbia, China and has been an advisor for the Ellen MacCarthur Foundation; DEFRA; British Standards (BS 8887) and the Center for Research in Sustainable Packaging (CRiSP).
Vicky is motivated by the challenges of integrating meaningful sustainable design practices in industry with over over 20 years of product and packaging oriented sustainable design consultancy experience. Consulting roles include Triton, GlaxoSmithKline, Tencel Acordis, Royal Society of the Arts; Lloyds Banking Group and Alliance Boots) where she has consulted on carbon foot-printing, sustainable strategy development, user engagement, and eco-analysis.
I have enjoyed a management career of over 40 years with hands-on experience that has included roles in the Hospitality and Institutional sectors, Global Supply Chain management for leading food service brands, and nearly 20 years as a senior executive with gategroup, the world’s largest independent aviation services provider.
In 2013 I founded my own business venture in the UK in order to offer consultancy and advice on strategy development, and territory expansion as well as providing executive leadership in support of several food, service, travel, and lifestyle brands.
I place a high value on a business, or organisation’s, capacity to change for the better and to readily embrace the importance of being a responsible and sustainable model which can, and will, address the challenges of future proofing the planet, and our communities for the longest term.
I have worked in onboard product businesses since graduating with a languages degree in 1998. Starting out in Watermark Products in account management before quickly becoming Operations Director as the company grew both organically and through acquisition.
I worked on the integration of many of the acquired businesses as well as pulling together the Encompass programme which was one of the first total ‘above the wing’ product and service solutions. In 2005, I became Managing Director of Watermark Asia where I stayed until my daughter was born and 6 months later we decided to return to the UK.
In 2008 I set up Plane Talking Products with my business partner, John Caulcutt. Our ethos was and still is, to be exactly as the name suggests – easy to do business with, nimble and agile and using all our years of experience in the design, development and supply of onboard products to help and guide our clients.
In recent years we have turned our focus to supplying more sustainable products and part of being able to do that is really understanding where the products come from and more importantly where they end their life – a part of the supply chain that we have not really been involved in previously. This is where I see the value in joining the ASF – pooling our knowledge and expertise with others in the same supply chain to really push the sustainable agenda forward.