Alan Sparling, ASM Ireland, shared an innovative idea that was adopted by ANA. ANA HOLDINGS INC. today announced a new product launch from the ANA Upcycle Project, a creative initiative to develop upcycled products using aircraft parts and uniforms.
Upcycling Initiative to Reduce Waste
ANA employees suggested converting aircraft seat coffers into upcycled slippers to support ANA Group’s efforts to make effective use of resources and reduce waste to create an environmentally friendly and sustainable society. The slippers will be available for purchase in Japan through a reservation lottery sales beginning November 10. As part of their upcycling initiative, ANA Group also created tote bags made from discarded mechanics’ uniforms prior to their work on slippers.
ANA Up-cycle Project
The limited-edition ANA house slippers were developed with Onward Trading Co., Ltd., an apparel
company. The two companies teamed up as part of ANA’s Future Promise and “Onward’s Re-make-up
Project” which aims to help alleviate the apparel industry’s massive textile disposal problem. ANA Group
and Onward Trading Co., Ltd. channelled their shared desire to reduce waste into a joint effort to develop an appealing product made from the usable portions of seat covers that had become faded, torn or otherwise unsuitable for aircraft use.
ANA seat covers are manufactured under strict control and maintained and cleaned regularly. Rather than discarding covers that need to be replaced, the project turns them into comfortable slippers in ANA’s signature dark blue colour. These products are carefully handmade one by one by craftsmen at a factory in Yamagata Prefecture, which produces the largest number of slippers in Japan. They visually check the seat covers that can be made into slippers, and moulding, cutting, and sewing are all done by hand to take out the best of the fabric and assure the highest quality.
As the available fabric used for the house slippers depend on the amount of discarded seat covers, ANA
Group will start by selling 50 pairs, and in the future, various types of house slippers will be developed with different patterns depending on the available seat covers.
Prior to the launch of the ANA Up-cycle Project, ANA Group released its handmade bags created from
recycled maintenance staff clothing. These bags, in collaboration with ROOTOTE, a brand specializing in
tote bags, were first offered on May 30, 2022 and sold out within 9 hours. Due to the availability of fabrics, so far, these bags have been sold three times: on May 30, June 6 and August 1.
ANA employees first proposed the ideas for the totes and slippers, and other suggestions are sure to come for the ANA Up-cycle Project in the future. ANA Group will continue efforts to make effective use of resources and reduce waste to create an environmentally friendly and sustainable society.
