Program fosters lifelong social impact with
nonprofit organizations and has kept more than 1.4 million
pounds of aircraft seat leather out of landfills
DALLAS, April 30,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Southwest Airlines Co.
(NYSE: LUV) celebrates 10 years of its signature program,
Repurpose with Purpose, a global sustainability initiative that
creates partnerships with social impact organizations to upcycle
and transform aircraft seat leather removed during ongoing aircraft
renovations and the aircraft retirement process. Community partners
across the globe have upcycled more than one million pounds of
Southwest® aircraft seat leather through this program,
fostering sustainable solutions with a transformative community
impact, including employment opportunities and on-the-job skills
training.
"We're proud of the progress we're making alongside our
community partners to find new uses for aircraft seat leather
through sustainable solutions," said Whitney Eichinger, Senior Vice President &
Chief Communications Officer at Southwest Airlines. "Hearing the
stories of the women, children, veterans, and local communities
that are supported by Repurpose with Purpose reinforces our vision
in giving back to create meaningful change, which is at the Heart
of what brings us together."
The program also complements sustainability efforts defined by
Southwest in its Nonstop to Net Zero plan which outlines its path
to net zero carbon emissions by 20501 and a more
sustainable future. The carrier strives to increase
circularity2 throughout its operations through sourcing,
recycling, and upcycling.
The Repurpose with Purpose program has:
- Rerouted more than 1.4 million pounds of leather
away from landfills to nonprofit partners that help provide
employment, skills training, and workforce development
programs.
- Donated more than $2
million in grants to nonprofit partners across the
globe.
- Generated more than $1
million in revenue since 2017 for nonprofit partners
from the sale of upcycled products.
- Been named Runner Up in the Eco-Innovator category for the
Boston College Center for Corporate
Citizenship 2024 Innovation Awards, recognizing Southwest as a
company that has marshaled the financial and human resources at its
disposal to address an environmental issue affecting or relating to
that company's core competencies.
- Collaborated with 12 global nonprofit partners to
foster community solutions and expanded opportunities for thousands
of individuals, such as:
- Wearsos, an organization focused on transforming lives through
upcycling that provides employment opportunities for marginalized
people, championing women empowerment, and creating impact within
communities in Costa Rica. This
spring, Wearsos, launched their e-commerce site through Southwest
support;
- Longtime Repurpose with Purpose partner, Rethreaded, an
organization that harnesses the power of business, community, and
time by employing and providing wrap-around services for women who
survived human trafficking. Rethreaded has sold more than 38,000
items created using Southwest leather, generating more than
$1 million in revenue to support
employment of more than 80 women who are survivors of human
trafficking;
- Houston-based nonprofit design house, Magpies & Peacocks,
dedicated to the collection, curation, and sustainable reuse of
post-consumer textiles to disrupt the cycle of waste in the fashion
industry; and
- Help Heal Veterans, an organization providing therapeutic craft
kits since 1971 to veterans and active-duty military that helps
healing through creativity from the visible and invisible wounds of
war. Help Heal Veterans has created more than 200,000 kits since
2018 using Southwest aircraft seat leather.
Southwest will mark the milestone anniversary through several
events and showcases this year. At Employee events earlier this
year, Eichinger wore custom-created outfits designed by Magpies
& Peacocks, featuring upcycled Southwest Airlines®
aircraft seat leather. In March, Southwest invited Wearsos to
participate in Luck Reunion, a festival at Willie Nelson's "Luck,
TX" ranch, where two artisans from Costa
Rica joined Wearsos founders to display their upcycled
creations and offered unique pieces for sale to festivalgoers. This
month, Southwest will partner with Meow Wolf Denver for Absolute
Rubbish: Bloom, a "trashion show" in which aircraft seat leather is
incorporated into a fashion design by Kate
Major and 19 other designers unveiling durable, wearable,
luxurious designs curated by Meow Wolf Denver's costume
designer.
Customers traveling this year also can see pieces created by
Southwest Repurpose with Purpose partners at airport exhibits
across the country. Exhibits at Austin and Denver are already available for viewing, and
exhibits at Albany, Dallas Love Field, Houston (Hobby), Jacksonville, Nashville, and Oakland will open later this
year.
For more on the Southwest Repurpose with Purpose program, visit
southwest.com/repurposewithpurpose.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
Southwest Airlines Co. operates one of the world's most
admired and awarded airlines, offering its one-of-a-kind value and
Hospitality at 121 airports across 11 countries. Southwest took
flight in 1971 to democratize the sky through friendly, reliable,
and low-cost air travel and now carries more air travelers flying
nonstop within the United States
than any other airline3. Based in Dallas and famous for an Employee-first
corporate Culture, Southwest maintains an unprecedented record of
no involuntary furloughs or layoffs in its history. By empowering
its more than 74,0004 People to deliver
unparalleled Hospitality, the maverick airline cherishes a
passionate loyalty among more than 137 million Customers carried in
2023. That formula for success brought industry-leading prosperity
and 47 consecutive years5 of profitability for
Southwest Shareholders (NYSE: LUV). Southwest leverages a unique
legacy and mission to serve communities around the world including
harnessing the power of its People and Purpose to put communities
at the Heart of its success. Learn more by
visiting Southwest.com/citizenship. As the airline with
Heart, Southwest has set a goal to work toward achieving net zero
carbon emissions by 2050. Southwest has also set near-term targets
and a three-pillar strategy to achieve its environmental goals.
Learn more by visiting Southwest.com/planet.
1
|
Our net zero by 2050
goal includes Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 Category 3 emissions
only and excludes any emissions associated with non-fuel products
and services, such as inflight service items.
|
2
|
Circularity at
Southwest means working towards reducing waste through maximizing
the value of resources by keeping products and materials in
circulation as long as possible—this includes reusing, recycling,
and considering what happens to a product at the end of its
lifecycle from the time that we start to source
it.
|
3
|
Based on U.S. Dept.
of Transportation quarterly Airline Origin & Destination Survey
since Q1 2021
|
4
|
Fulltime-equivalent
active Employees
|
5
|
1973-2019 annual
profitability
|
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SOURCE Southwest Airlines Co.