Summary
- Emirates will upcycle aircraft materials into school bags for children in Africa and Asia.
- The airline repurposed 11,475 lb of fabrics from 22 A380s, to create high-quality backpacks.
- Emirates’ environmental initiative aims to minimize waste and support early education globally.
Emirates is gearing up to repurpose over 110,231 lb (50,000 kg) of materials from 191 aircraft into handmade schoolbags and backpacks, which will be donated to children through community schools and organizations in Africa and Asia this year. The initiative is in commemoration of World Environment Day and is part of an environmental strategy that includes a commitment to consuming responsibly.
Supporting early education in Africa and Asia
Emirates will give new life to the materials sourced from the aircraft undergoing cabin retrofitting in Dubai. Up to 22 Airbus A380 aircraft have already undergone refurbishment, with Emirates adding new seats and cabin features. To minimize waste, the airline’s engineering team challenged themselves to find a way to repurpose the fabrics from the economy class seats of the 22 superjumbos.
About 11,475 lb (5,205 kg) of scrap materials were recovered, including seat fabric sourced from Germany and Ireland. The 95% wool and 5% nylon composition with a flat weave structure make the aircraft materials ideal for upcycling; hence, the decision was made to make high-quality backpacks for children in need.
Photo: Emirates
A team of tailors in the Emirates Engineering workshop made creative designs for backpacks for children of different ages. They collaborated with the Emirates Corporate Communications, Marketing & Brand team to identify charitable entities, schools, orphanages, and foundations to which the bags will be donated and distributed in the coming months.
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The upcycling process
Emirates has an extensive network across Africa. In addition to providing flight services, the airline is involved in several projects to support tourism, sports, and culture. This latest initiative will help support early education across Africa and Asia. The airline’s teams spent weeks researching bag styles to ensure they are safe for children’s use and fit for purpose. Across all individual designs, the recovered materials are freshly laundered into a facility before being deep cleaned by hand.
They are also leather-conditioned for the leather accents featured on some bags and thoroughly disinfected before they are sewn together. The teams will add new lining, functional zippers, and adjustable straps to produce a range of sturdy, quality bags, which Emirates will make-to-order for worthy causes. Speaking about the initiative, Emirates Divisional Senior Vice President for Engineering Ahmed Safa said,
“We are so proud of our people at Emirates and their commitment to this initiative. 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. It’s also a testament to Emirates’ commitment to constantly evolve our environmental efforts and examine all aspects of our products and supply chains. For this project, our aim is to turn what would have been waste into prized possessions.”
The backpacks are handmade in the Emirates Engineering workshop, where a team of tailors, known as Engineering Maintenance Assistants, assemble and stitch them together. They are usually tasked with fixing tears in the interiors of Emirates aircraft, but their skills are now being utilized to produce schoolbags for students in need.
Retrofitting aircraft with new seats
In August 2022, Emirates launched the largest-ever cabin retrofit program to upgrade the interiors of 120 Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft. This is part of an investment of over $2 billion to add premium economy seats and ensure an elevated cabin experience for all passengers. The Dubai-based carrier recently added 71 more aircraft to the project, including 43 superjumbos and 28 Triple Sevens. Together, the 191 aircraft have the potential to provide up to 110,231 lb (50,000 kg) of waste fabrics.
Materials from the business and first class cabins of the 22 retrofitted A380s, including leather, aluminum, and wool, have already been repurposed to create a range of limited-edition luggage and accessories. The products were sold out within weeks, with proceeds from the first sale being donated to Emirates Airline Foundation to support humanitarian projects worldwide.
Photo: Emirates
The retrofit program will take years to complete and will provide several opportunities for upcycling. When the last aircraft is rolled out, Emirates will have delivered 42,994 new seats across all cabins, including 21,814 seats in economy, 11,182 in business, 1,894 in first, and 8,104 seats in the new premium economy class. Emirates expects to serve 42 cities with premium economy by February 2025, with its current fleet and the new Airbus A350 scheduled for delivery later this year.
What do you think of Emirates’ upcycled backpacks? We’re keen to hear your thoughts in the comments!