Airline introduces carbon footprint ratings on menus

(AFP PHOTO / Saeed KHAN)

Thai Airways has become the first airline in the world to include carbon footprint information on its in-flight menus.

The airline announced in February that it would introduce information on carbon generated per serving on all of its signature dishes through 2010. The airline's President Piyasvasti Amranand said that Thai was the first airline to calculate the carbon footprint of its dishes, allowing customers to be environmentally conscious in the dishes that they choose on-board.

Thai Airways says that its Chicken Mussaman Curry with steamed Thai Hom Mali Rice produces 13.6 kg CO2 e per 250g serving and its Green Curry "Kiew-Wan" with steamed Thai Hom Mali Rice produces 13.9 kg CO2 e per 250g serving. The figures are calculated by Thailand's Thai Greenhouse Gas Management Organization.

Thai's addition of carbon footprint data reflect a growing trend in consumer awareness of "food miles," and environmental cost of what we consume, particularly with regard to air travel. In 2007, Virgin Atlantic launched the first onboard carbon offset scheme, allowing passengers to pay to offset the carbon generated by their flight. A year later, the International Civil Aviation Organization launched an independent carbon calculator for passengers to measure the carbon output of most global routes.

Website: http://www.thaiairways.com/

Website: http://www.virgin-atlantic.com

Website: http://www.icao.int