The single-use plastics that airlines churn out are devastating our oceans. But it doesn’t have to be this way. 

In January, Portuguese airline Hi Fly flew the world’s first plastic-free flight. And Air New Zealand and Ryanair are phasing out single-use plastic entirely. 

Meanwhile Southwest, the nation’s biggest domestic airline, hasn’t even gotten rid of plastic straws or stir sticks. 

This month is Plastic-Free July. Join us in calling on Southwest to take its sustainability commitment seriously by pioneering the first plastic-free flight in the U.S. 

Southwest trumpets the fact that it repurposes or recycles 35 percent of its waste — but that’s not enough. Only 9 percent of the plastic sent to be “recycled” is actually recycled. The rest is burned, landfilled, or washed out to sea. 

And plastic never really goes away. Throwaway items like straws, cups and cutlery are only used once, but they last for centuries, breaking down into toxic, ever-smaller pieces. 

Southwest competitors Delta and American Airlines have already gotten rid of certain single-use plastics, replacing them with compostable alternatives. 

But as the biggest airline in the US, Southwest can do more than just keep up with the competition: it can set a new plastic-free industry standard.  

SumOfUs is poised to win this fight. Last year, members like you got McDonald’s to ban straws in the UK. And in Canada, nine months of pressure from SumOfUs members just won historic legislation that will phase out a range of polluting single-use plastics. 

Around the world, the fight against plastic pollution is picking up steam, with countries banning the plastics that kill ocean wildlife and litter our communities.