American Airlines Cargo Doubles Down on Sustainability With BioNatur

American Airlines Cargo has reported strong results following its ongoing partnership with BioNatur Plastics, a sustainable supplier of biodegradable plastic products for cargo operations. Since the partnership began in 2022, the airline has significantly reduced its annual long-term plastic waste, equivalent to 6.4 million plastic water bottles, according to an official release from American Airlines Cargo.

American replaced more than 274,000 pounds of traditional plastic with the BioNatur line in 2024, reducing long-term plastic waste by the equivalent of 12.6 million plastic water bottles, a nearly 100% improvement since the partnership’s inception, mentions the official release.

BioNatur Plastics offers eco-conscious alternatives to traditional plastics without sacrificing quality or performance. Their biodegradable and 100% recyclable products retain the functionality of conventional plastic but do not break down into microplastics. Instead, they biodegrade in a landfill environment within 8 to 12 years.

American Airlines Cargo currently uses BioNatur plastic at most of its U.S. hubs, smaller domestic stations, and locations in Latin America. The airline plans to further expand the use of biodegradable plastic across all operations, replacing traditional plastic, the release added.

Distributed by M&G Packaging, BioNatur plastic product uses include lower deck pallet covers, heavy-duty poly sheeting, stretch wrap, bottom sheeting, and plastic covers – all of which are an important part of the building process for Unit Load Devices (ULDs).

“We have a strong and successful partnership with BioNatur Plastics, and I’m pleased to see how much our efforts to migrate more of our operations plastic use to their biodegradable products are helping us reduce our long-term waste and overall footprint,” says Greg Schwendinger, President, American Airlines Cargo.

“To see the progress over just three years shows how implementing sustainable practices can truly make a difference. We look forward to continuing to work toward a green future.”

Chris Paladino, President, BioNatur Plastics adds, “American continues to be a leader in sustainability and we are proud to have supported the cargo team as they more than doubled their impact in 2024. BioNatur’s biodegradable and recyclable plastics are ideal for cargo that is being distributed around the world. We look forward to an even bigger 2025.”