Low-cost airline EasyJet plans to donate thousands of old cabin crew and pilot uniforms to local charities that will transform the garments into school uniforms for families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
EasyJet is in the process of rolling out an updated cabin crew uniform, and that inevitably means dealing with a mountain of unneeded but otherwise wearable items from the current uniform collection.
The Luton-based carrier intends to donate as much of its old uniform as possible, while any items that can’t be repurposed will be recycled.
EasyJet was moved by shocking stats that show that 58% of British households are currently struggling to buy school uniforms, with a third of families sacrificing household essentials and nearly 20% of households racking up credit card debt to pay for uniforms.
The issue is particularly prevalent in Luton, and easyJet is working with a local charity which will donate ‘pre-loved’ garments to children across 75 schools in the area.
“We have seen a significant rise in requests for school uniforms, highlighting the challenges many families are facing,” commented Jennie White from the charity the Level Trust.
“EasyJet’s donation of surplus uniforms is a crucial step in addressing these needs as this initiative not only helps alleviate the financial strain on parents but also ensures that children have the necessary attire to feel confident and focused at school.”
The airline is collecting old uniforms from cabin crew, removing the EasyJet branding, and then upcycling them to meet the needs of local schools. The initiative could help tens of thousands of children in the coming months.
EasyJet’s cabin crew collection of grey suits and white shirts makes its uniform ideally suited to be donated as school uniforms, although many airlines are nervous about upcycling their old uniforms for fear that it could damage their brand image.
While the idea of an airline like Emirates donating old cabin crew uniforms to a local school might be far-fetched, the airline does upcycle old cabin materials like seat covers and curtains, turning them into essentials like school backpacks.
Through its Aircrafted KIDS initiative, the Dubai-based airline has already donated thousands of custom-made backpacks to children across the Middle East and North Africa.
The backpacks are made in-house by Emirates’ Engineering team with materials upcycled from its Boeing 777 and Airbus A380 aircraft. Given the fact that Emirates is mid-way through a massive overhaul of older planes, the airline has a lot of spare material to upcycle.
