Airport Experience® News - Pre-Conference Issue 2025

GREEN CONCESSIONS GAIN TRACTION Airport F&B Sustainability Programs Go A Long Way In Reducing Waste

BY SALLY KRAL

Much of the research that goes into establishing new sustainability protocols involves monitoring current behaviors and learning from them. Portland International Airport (PDX) is a good example. Erin Anderson, a senior environmental specialist for the Port of Portland , says that she and her team took note of how many people, particularly employees, sat down to enjoy their meals at a pre-security food court at PDX, and they were especially

interested to learn that all of these meals were being served in disposable containers that quickly filled the garbage cans. “We observed 81 percent of customers during the lunch rush sit down to eat rather than taking their meals to go, and 65 percent of those customers were PDX employees,” she says. And so, the Green Plate Program, wherein customers planning to eat their meals onsite are given reusable serveware, was conceived.

Below: Portland International Airport’s Green Plate Program provides durable dishes at restaurants in the pre-security food court, effectively reducing waste at these restaurants by more than 100 pounds a day.

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AX NEWS FEBRUARY 2025