In a smart move by Emirates airline it is repurposing more than 50,000 kilograms of materials from 191 aircraft undergoing a cabin refresh.
Emirates will give new life to the materials and is personally producing thousands of handmade children’s backpacks and schoolbags.
These will be donated to community schools and organisations supporting early education across Africa and Asia this year, as part of its environmental strategy.
The materials were identified as ideal for upcycling due to their durability and non-flammable nature, and a decision was made to make high quality backpacks for children in need.
A dedicated team of tailors creatively designed a range of backpacks, working with Emirates Corporate Communications, and the Marketing & Brand team to identify charities, schools, orphanages and foundations where the bags are to be sent.
Emirates’ teams spent weeks researching bag styles, ensuring the bags are safe and comfortable for children to use and fit for purpose.
Ahmed Safa, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President for Engineering, said: “Countless hours have been invested into making these bags for children; it’s a true passion project for our diligent team.
“We’ve even had volunteers within the larger company come forward and offer to help with the project, there is a huge appetite to contribute and support entities in need.”
Major retrofit
The world’s largest ever known retrofit project is a multibillion-dollar investment from Emirates, which kicked off in August 2022 with the intention of fully re-fitting 191 aircraft and elevating customer experience.
This includes 110 Airbus A380s and 81 Boeing 777 aircraft, which together have the potential to provide up to 50,000 kilograms of waste fabrics.
The retrofit is a considerable project that will take years to complete and provide multiple opportunities for upcycling.
This will see 21,814 economy seats installed, 8,104 brand new premium economy seats installed, 1,894 first class suites refurbished, and over 11,182 new generation business class seats installed.
