BioNatur Plastics has recognized Worldwide Flight Services’ (WFS) commitment to sustainability and honored Stephanie Peacock, Director of Sourcing & Supply in North America at WFS, with its first ‘Pioneer Award’ for inspiring the introduction of biodegradable plastic products into the global air cargo industry.

Since WFS became the launch customer for BioNatur Plastics’ biodegradable stretch wrap and pallet covers for cargo shipments in North America, BioNatur has prevented the equivalent of 315 million plastic bottles or more than 600 tonnes of plastic from languishing in landfill annually.

Unlike any other plastics that are marketed as ‘biodegradable’, BioNatur can also be recycled.

WFS’ leadership in the use of new-to-market sustainable products has enabled BioNatur to demonstrate the effectiveness of its solution and build a client base in the industry that now also includes British Airways, American Airlines, Avianca, Cargolux, DB Schenker, Delta Cargo, Expeditors, LATAM Airlines, Korean Airlines, and United Cargo. Other international handling organisations are also now utilising BioNatur in their cargo operations.

In presenting the Pioneer Award to Stephanie, Chris Paladino, CEO of BioNatur Plastics, stated: “Our first-ever Pioneer Award recognizes that WFS, through Stephanie’s leadership, was the first cargo company to adopt BioNatur. After being recognized as a winner in the inaugural TIACA Air Cargo Sustainability Awards, the use of our plastics by WFS, a global leader in the cargo handling space, gave us the high-quality and high-volume test case we needed to quickly expand further across the industry.”

“Sustainability isn't just a choice for us, it's the foundation of our growth. By integrating innovative sustainable practices into our business, we will not only secure our future but also create lasting value for our customers and communities," said Jose Canales, SVP Commercial and Business Development for the Americas at WFS.

Stephanie Peacock added: “I am proud to accept this award on behalf of WFS and to know that having acted as the launch partner for BioNatur in the air cargo industry, we have encouraged global airlines, forwarders, and other handlers to follow our lead. In support of SATS’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) group priorities, we continue to encourage our Procurement specialists to look for collaborative sustainability partners and opportunities because we can clearly achieve much more by working together.

“The success of BioNatur is a great example of how collaborative relationships can benefit all organizations. Understanding your supplier’s business and goals can help you find synergies that yield long-term benefits that far exceed any short-term price reductions achieved through an adversarial approach. When BioNatur first told us about a new technology they were testing, we were impressed by their innovative approach. After running numerous pilot programs, our operations team confirmed BioNatur performed as well, if not better, than traditional plastic. This gave us the confidence to take decisive action and deploy BioNatur across all our operations in the US. Surely a step in the right direction to meet our Group level target of 100% packaging and overall linear materials to be reusable or recyclable-ready by 2030.”