IFSA Global EXPO Panel Preview: The Green Shift
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The first IFSA-dedicated panel session at the 2025 IFSA Global EXPO in Long Beach, California from September 9-11 will focus on examples of how the participants are fostering environmental stewardship while maintaining operational excellence.
Titled “The Green Shift,” the discussion will be moderated by Aviation Sustainability Forum (ASF) CEO Diana Cawley, who will begin by sharing insightful data regarding cabin and catering waste collated as part of ASF’s Cabin Waste Composition Audit program. The company’s audit tool was recognized in July 2024 by IATA as the industry standard for measuring and analyzing cabin waste.
In a preview meeting ahead of the panel taking place, Cawley explained, “Whether it is the way they buy products, the way they sort their inventory or the way that they really understand the waste that they’ve got, lots of people are doing things on cabin waste and are seeing that actually they can make a difference there.”
Some of those Cawley is referring to are the panelists, who are there representing Delta Air Lines, KLM and gategroup North America.
Matrix de Vries, who is responsible for the food and beverage experience across all cabin classes on a major part of KLM’s international network, will discuss how the carrier has implemented changes to its recycling operations as a result of recent clarification from the European Union on what is classified as Category 1 International Catering Waste (ICW).
Cawley will also use this opportunity to inform the audience about the regulation de Vries is referring to.
“Lots of people are doing things on cabin waste and are seeing that actually they can make a difference there.”
– Diana Cawley, Aviation Sustainability Forum
This sets the scene for an interesting discussion about how Gategroup is helping clients manage the challenging regulatory landscape in the US, which differs from the UK and EU. The company’s CCO North America Chris Kinsella noted, “There’s a lot going on in this region in terms of the authorities involved with recycling and there’s a significant cost at times that fluctuates quite a bit.”
However, Kinsella will reveal information about promising pilot programs with its customers, whether it is recycling cans and bottles or composting cardboard, pallets and even the cutlery used onboard.
Finally, Delta Air Lines Innovation Strategist Tosin Durotoye will focus on how computer vision and AI technology has enabled the carrier to track consumption “to essentially see what’s coming off of our planes and back into our kitchens.”
Durotoye stated, “Because of this sort of data collection and the insights that we’ve been able to gain, we’ve been able to make productivity decisions and take action around how and what we board, optimizing our onboard space, optimizing our menu and more.”
“The Green Shift” panel session will take place in the LBCC Breakout Room from 2:00PM until 2:50PM on September 9. To find out about the other panels taking place at the IFSA Global EXPO, click here.