Alliance Ground International (AGI) has started using M&G Packaging's biodegradable BioNatur Plastics products for all of the plastic sheeting used in its cargo transportation.

The program was unveiled as the Miami-based ground handler's AGI Cares 2028 initiative kicked off.

AGI Cares 2028 is an Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiative that prioritizes waste reduction, employee health and wellness, business governance, community investment, and environmental responsibility in a bid to lower the company's carbon footprint.

More sustainable plastic option

The move to target plastic usage is due to concerns that plastic can take up to 1,000 years to decompose. In contrast, AGI said BioNatur Plastic — which it plans to use — are biodegradable plastics designed to biodegrade under landfill conditions between 8-12 years.

It added that finished goods could also be recycled entirely in conventional refuse streams.

The manufacturing process for BioNatur Plastic includes a 1% load of a proprietary organic food-safe additive that enables anaerobic microbes to break down the plastic in a landfill.

Meanwhile, outside the landfill, AGI noted that BioNatur Plastic has an indefinite shelf life and performs like traditional plastic goods.

"AGI is excited to convert our cargo operation to these sustainable plastic products," said Jared Azcuy, chief executive of AGI.

Azcuy noted that replacing the plastic products used by AGI achieves two of the key pillars of our AGI Cares 2028 program: environmental responsibility and minimizing waste to landfill.