American Airlines Cargo (AA Cargo) has shared positive outcomes from its ongoing collaboration with BioNatur Plastics, which supplies biodegradable plastic products for use in its cargo operations.

The partnership began in 2022, first enabling the carrier to reduce its yearly long-term traditional plastic waste by the equivalent of 6.4 million plastic water bottles.

In 2024, American Airlines Cargo said it replaced more than 274,000 lbs. of traditional plastic used across its network with the BioNatur line which resulted in a yearly reduction of long-term plastic waste by the equivalent of 12.6 million plastic water bottles – a nearly 100% increase compared to when the partnership began.

BioNatur Plastics provides eco-conscious alternatives to traditional plastics without compromising on quality or performance. They supply biodegradable and 100% recyclable plastic products with all the functionality of traditional plastic, but BioNatur's products do not break down into micro-plastics and instead biodegrade in a landfill environment within 8 to 12 years.

The carrier currently uses BioNatur plastic at most of its U.S. hubs, as well as at smaller domestic stations and in Latin America, with plans to continue expanding use of the biodegradable plastic across all operations in place of traditional plastic.

"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," said 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," he added.