The Challenge

A major global airline sought innovative ways to reduce inflight waste as part of a larger commitment to sustainability. The problem was complex, with waste generated from multiple sources across the customer journey and involving several operational touchpoints. My mission was to explore and uncover new ideas for waste reduction, developing actionable solutions with potential for real impact.

My Role

I led exploratory research and concept design on a team of three core innovators—a strategist, engineer, and myself—as well as four college interns. Together, we set out on internal and international journeys to understand the scope of waste challenges, through research by exploring possibilities that could drive sustainability forward.

Research

After reframing the problem statement, we aligned on a cross-divisional research strategy. We partnered with a wide range of stakeholders: catering teams, delivery truck drivers, flight attendants, product managers, sustainability specialists, marketing, and customers. Through a blend of immersive research techniques, we gathered insights about inflight waste issues and sustainability needs. Including diversity of perspectives helped us identify each group’s unique challenges and highlight opportunities.

Design Phase

With insights in hand, our team entered an intensive design phase to transform research findings into clear, innovative concepts. We generated ideas through ideation workshops and brainstorming sessions, prioritizing solutions with potential to improve sustainability across various inflight operations. Each concept was crafted to solve a specific aspect of the waste challenge, aligning with both operational needs and the airline’s environmental goals.

In the end, we developed twelve diverse concepts to address different facets of waste, which we presented to leadership through visuals. To ensure each concept resonated, we used storytelling to showcase how the solutions could reduce waste, improve efficiency, and enhance the customer experience.

The Results

The results were powerful. Leadership recognized the potential in our work, and immediately moved three of the concepts into development. Several other concepts were integrated into future roadmaps, as part of the airline’s sustainability strategy.

This project underscored the importance of a human-centered, cross-functional approach to solving complex challenges. Through close collaboration, fresh perspectives, and a commitment to innovation, we delivered ideas that support the airline’s mission in sustainable aviation, transforming a myriad of challenging problems into meaningful progress.