Travel Weekly April 11 2016 - 

The world is taking a stand for sustainability, and Jetstar has jumped on board – this time with a blanket made out of plastic bottles.

The airline has taken out two international sustainability awards for the blankets, which have helped divert more than 5.8 million plastic bottles from landfill.

Jetstar was awarded the Sustainability category at the Onboard Hospitality Awards as well as the Ethically Sustainable Amenity category at the Travel Plus Awards in Germany for the world-class ecoTHREAD blanket initiative.

Jetstar Group head of project Nigel Fanning said the group was thrilled the actions had been recognised.

Since the project started a year ago the airline has orded more than 300,000 of the blankets.

“To create each blanket, 19 plastic bottles are recycled into plastic chips, which are transformed into thread and woven into fabric,” he said.

“When our customers see on the package that the blankets are made from plastic it does raise a few eyebrows but they love how comfortable they are and that by keeping warm on our flights they are helping the environment.”

Passengers travelling on Jetstar can enjoy the comfort of the blankets in both business and economy class.

“We’re committed to minimising our impact on the environment while providing a comfortable journey for our passengers, and offering environmentally friendly ecoTHREAD blankets onboard has helped us achieve both these goals,” Fanning said.