European Airline EasyJet says Welcome Aboard to a Greener Cabin Crew Uniform
Sanda Arambepola
The uniforms are made from recycled plastic bottles, which will go some way to offset the environmental impact of air travel.
EasyJet has introduced these uniforms in association with Northern Ireland-based manufacturer Tailored Image, who create the garments using a high-tech tailored fabric that uses a yarn made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. Each uniform uses about 45 recycled plastic bottles, with the initiative estimated to prevent around half a million bottles from ending up in landfills or in oceans every year. With EasyJet committing to a five-year contract with the manufacturer, these numbers are predicted to rise up to as many as 2,700,000 bottles.
Climate change is an issue for all of us, and at easyJet, we are looking at all parts of our operation to see where we can reduce carbon emissions and reduce waste. We are excited to be debuting this new pilot and cabin crew uniform made from recycled plastic bottles and to introduce it for our pilots and cabin crew colleagues. We know that sustainability is an important issue for them and also for our customers.
– TINA MILTON, DIRECTOR OF CABIN SERVICES AT EASYJET.
After numerous trial successes last year testing the performance of the new recycled fabric inside cabin and flight deck environments, this progressive uniform range was introduced to the cabin crew at large in August 2021.
According to the trials conducted, the new fabric was more abrasion-resistant compared with the non-recycled alternatives. Moreover, it proved to be more elasticated and durable, enabling cabin crew to be more comfortable with their movements while performing tasks like stretching for luggage in overhead lockers. Its long-lasting nature also reduces the need for more uniform production in the long run, thereby integrating sustainability into the production process as well.
In addition to the new fabric, plastic usage in all clothing-related packaging has also been replaced in favour of recyclable and biodegradable materials. Plastic collar strays have been replaced with recyclable cardboard ones, plastic shirt clips have been exchanged for metal shirt clips, and polypropylene outer shirt covers are substituted with biodegradable shirt covers.
It is a priority for us to continue work on reducing our carbon footprint in the short term, coupled with long-term work to support the development of new technology, including zero-emission planes which aspire to reduce the carbon footprint of aviation radically.
According to the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG), the global aviation industry produces over 2% of all human-included carbon dioxide emissions, comprising 12% of CO2 emissions from all transport sources. As such, it's commendable to see parts of the aviation industry take such steps in reducing their carbon footprint, which we hope will be taken up industry wide.
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