Sustainability in Operations: Emirates to donate backpacks made from aircraft interiors

Emirates is taking a substantial step towards sustainability with its groundbreaking initiative to repurpose materials from aircraft interiors. As part of its environmental strategy , the airline is set to recycle more than 50,000 kilograms of materials from 191 aircraft undergoing a cabin interior refresh. This step will result in thousands of handmade children’s backpacks, branded as ‘Aircrafted KIDS by Emirates’, to be donated to organizations and community schools supporting early education across Asia and Africa.

Repurposing Aircraft Interiors

To honor World Environment Day and accentuate its commitment to responsible consumption, Emirates has appointed its Engineering team with finding ways to recycle the fabrics from the Economy Class seats of 22 Airbus A380 aircraft that have completed the retrofit process. 5,205 kilograms of scrap materials were recovered from these aircrafts. These materials composed of 95% wool and 5% nylon, were sourced from Germany and Ireland and were selected for their non flammable properties and durability making them perfect for upcycling into good quality backpacks.

Creating Backpacks for a Cause

In the Emirates Engineering workshop, a dedicated team of tailors perfectly designed a range of amazing backpacks suitable for children of different ages. These tailors are officially titled as Engineering Maintenance Assistants, typically repair the interiors of Emirates fleet but now used their skills to produce school bags for kids. The team spent weeks researching and designing bag styles to make sure that they are comfortable, safe and fit for purpose. The fabrics are freshly deep cleaned by hand, leather conditioned for accents and thoroughly disinfected being reformed into unique pieces. Brand-new lining, functional zippers and adjustable straps are added to create good quality bags.

Donations to Community Schools

Emirates decided to distribute these backpacks to community schools and organizations working for providing early education across Asia and Africa. The airline coordinated with its Corporate Communications Marketing & Brand team to identify philanthropic organizations, schools, orphanages and foundations where the bags will be donated in the coming months.

Emirate’s Commitment to Sustainability

Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President for Engineering, Ahmed Safa, expressed pride and happiness in the team’s dedication and hardwork for this initiative. “Countless hours have been invested into making these bags for kids; it’s a true passion project for our diligent team,” said Safa. He underscores that this project reflects Emirate’s ongoing pledge to evolving its environmental efforts and go through all aspects of its products and supply chains.

Broader Sustainability Efforts

Beyond this project, Emirates is committed to saturating sustainability into all aspects of its operations. The airline has taken multiple steps to minimize its environmental impact onboard, extended interest in biofuels and implemented practices focused on reducing, reusing and recycling . These efforts include minimizing the environmental footprints of ground transport and continually seeking creative upcycling opportunities.

Emirates initiative to recycle aircraft interiors into backpacks for kids highlights its commitment and dedications to sustainability and responsible consumption. By turning waste into valuable resources. Emirates not only supports communities in need but also sets a remarkable example for the aviation industry. Through these efforts, Emirates is demonstrating its commitment to creating a more sustainable future for everyone.