CHICAGO, May 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines
delivered 7,500 face coverings over the past week to front line
employees at San Francisco
International Airport and the airline's San Francisco Maintenance
Base that were made from 12,284 pounds of uniforms United upcycled.
United worked with upcycling partner, Looptworks to produce masks
that would supplement the supply of face coverings that the airline
already provides all employees and customers. Download images and
broll here.
United recently rolled out new Carhartt Company Gear for its
28,000 Technical Operations, Ramp Service and Catering Operations
employees and originally planned to turn the surplus of older
garments into carpet padding and insulation fiber. The company
changed course last month to align with the latest guidance from
the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) to wear face masks in public
when social distancing is not possible.
"This was an opportunity to do something extra for our employees
to keep them safe while also staying true to our commitment to be
one of the most sustainable airlines in the world," said
Janet Lamkin, United Airlines SVP
and President, California.
"Recycling these unused uniforms into masks is a natural extension
of our broader effort to overhaul our cleaning, social distancing
and mitigation measures to ensure we're doing everything possible
to keep our employees and our customers safe."
United recently launched United CleanPlus, which brings together
one of the most trusted brands in surface disinfection - Clorox -
and the country's top medical experts - Cleveland Clinic - to
inform and guide United's new cleaning, safety and social
distancing protocols that includes touchless kiosks in select
locations for baggage check-in, sneeze guards, mandatory face
coverings for crew and customers, and empowering customers by
contacting them 24 hours in advance and giving them the opportunity
to choose a different flight – for free -- when it looks like more
than 70% of the seats will be filled.
Through partnering with Portland,
Oregon-based Looptworks, United was able to supply employees
with more sustainable, eco-friendly masks that are washable and
reusable, recycled from uniforms, made in limited editions, and in
the process save materials from landfills.
In April, United became the first major U.S.-based airline to
require flight attendants to wear a face mask while on duty, and
beginning in May, expanded that mandate to include all employees
and customers on board. This includes front-line workers like
pilots, customer service agents and ramp workers when on board an
aircraft, along with any other United employees traveling using
their flight benefits.
About United
United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the
World." For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on
Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook. The common stock of
United's parent, United Airlines Holdings, Inc., is traded on the
Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".
About Looptworks
Looptworks is a Portland,
Oregon-based business that repurposes and upcycles abandoned
pre-consumer and post-consumer materials into limited edition
products. Founded in 2009, Looptworks is a Certified B-Corporation
that partners with sustainable companies in various industries
including athletic, automotive, aviation, outdoor, and
entertainment. Its mission is to ignite zero waste and circular
design through a closed-loop system. To learn more, visit
www.looptworks.com.
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SOURCE United Airlines