Teaming up to make a difference, Southwest Airlines is giving new life to old plane parts while helping women in recovery through its new partnership with Unshattered.
Repurpose With Purpose
Southwest Airlines’ Repurpose with Purpose program focuses on sustainability by upcycling old plane parts, like leather seats, and morphing them into new products. The airline is expanding the global initiative by joining forces with Unshattered, a nonprofit that employs women in recovery.
As part of the new partnership, Southwest will donate seat leather to Unshattered, where women will turn it into high-end travel bags and accessories. Each item is handcrafted and sewn at Unshattered’s headquarters in New York, then sold online. Items include duffel bags, small zipper bags, crossbody bags, and tote bags. They are available for purchase online right now.
Southwest Airlines also donates leather to other nonprofits around the country, including one in Texas that helps disadvantaged groups learn skills by making leather accessories. Through the Repurpose with Purpose program, Southwest also donates old plane parts for educational purposes and recycles billboard materials into bags. Globally, the airline gives new life to old life vests by giving them to fishermen in Uganda.
About Unshattered
The mission of Unshattered is to provide women with a path forward during recovery. The non-profit provides developmental and professional skills for women to carry with them throughout the rest of their lives. Women working for Unshattered spend roughly 10 percent of their week on development classes.
Each bag made at Unshattered features a gold thread paying homage to the Japanese art form of Kintsugi. Kintsugi is the practice of repairing cracked pottery with gold, highlighting the cracks instead of disguising them. Each bag is unique and has a different story behind it. Shopping with Unshattered helps the organization continue to provide critical life skills to women in recovery, significantly decreasing their chances of relapse.
Be sure to check out all of our recent coverage to learn how Southwest is expanding.
