Summary
- Korean Air has donated 500 first aid pouches produced from upcycled aircrew uniforms to a senior welfare center and an elementary school in Seoul.
- The primary aid kits include essential medicines funded by worker donations, comparable to fever-reducing and cold treatment medications.
- This initiative is an element of Korean Air’s ongoing sustainability drive, which incorporates other upcycling projects like cosmetic pouches produced from retired life vests and name tags produced from a dismantled Boeing 777-200ER aircraft.
Korean Air has donated first aid kits manufactured from upcycled aircrew uniforms to 2 community groups in Seoul. The move forms a part of the airline’s efforts to change into a more sustainable company and profit local projects.
Turning clothes into medical kits
Crew uniforms returned to airlines at the tip of their useful lives have traditionally been discarded and destroyed. This primarily prevents them from falling into the flawed hands, posing a possible security risk.
Nevertheless, one major carrier has found a much more useful use for these pre-owned uniforms by giving them a second life as an upcycled first aid pouch donated to the local people.
Photo: Korean Air
Korean Air, the Seoul-based national carrier of South Korea, recently created and donated 500 first aid pouches to 2 beneficiaries in communities near the airline’s headquarters. Using upcycled pilot and cabin crew uniforms now not in use, the kits were donated to the Seoul Gangseo Senior Welfare Center and Incheon Yongyu Elementary School.
The primary aid kits consisted of essential medicine funded by airline employees’ donations. Korean Air employees donated a complete of around KRW 5 million (US$3,800) to buy various first-aid medications to be included within the kits. These medicines included fever-reducing and cold treatment medicines.
A part of an ongoing sustainability drive
Forming a part of the airline’s ESG (Environment, Social, and Governance) activities, this latest move comes as Korean Air continues to initiate various upcycling projects over recent months.
In February of this yr, the airline released a limited variety of eco-friendly cosmetic pouches produced from retired cabin life vests. The proceeds from the “life vest” cosmetic pouch sales were to be donated to a worldwide environmental organization.
Photo: Korean Air
The upcycled pouches were produced in collaboration with Korean beauty brand “107,” renowned for its natural skincare products and eco-friendly holistic approach to beauty. The upcycled cosmetics pouch featured six different travel-size skincare essentials.
Not only have the pouches been produced from retired life vests, however the manufacturing processes were carried out to attenuate pollution and carbon emissions. The pouches were manufactured at a factory using solar energy, and eco-friendly, biodegradable detergents were used to scrub the life vests.
A limited variety of 4,000 upcycled cosmetic pouches were produced and made available for purchase through Korean Air’s e-Skyshop portal.
Then in May, the corporate released upcycled name tags and golf ball markers upcycled from a retired Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. This was the third time the airline had used retired aircraft parts to supply resale items.
Photo: Korean Air
The name tags and golf ball markers were made using the skin of a dismantled Boeing 777-200ER with the registration number HL7715. After operating 11,274 flights to 95 cities worldwide, the aircraft retired with its last flight from San Francisco to Seoul Incheon in March 2020.
Photo: Soos Jozsef / Shutterstock
Previously, Korean Air has donated hot water bottle covers made using inflight blankets to community neighbors in need.
Korean carriers striving for a sustainable future
With this latest enterprise, Korean Air is continuous a trend to develop and showcase unique and original eco-friendly products while donating upcycled useful items to local worthy causes, where appropriate.
That said, it isn’t just Korean Air that’s involved in upcycling uniforms as local neighbor Asiana Airlines has also been in on the act. Last yr, the carrier announced it will be upcycling staff uniforms into 11-inch tablet computer sleeves.
Photo: Asiana Airlines
Asiana currently disposes of about 30,000 uniforms annually from flight attendants, maintenance staff, and airport staff. Nevertheless, relatively than incinerating these uniforms, the airline sourced a manufacturer that might transform the used uniforms into tablet sleeves.
While the tablet sleeves weren’t made available on the market to most of the people, they got as prizes to valued customers and Asiana Airlines employees, based on an organization statement.
What do you consider these efforts to upcycle airline uniforms? What else would you wish to see airlines transform into practical, on a regular basis items? Tell us within the comments.