At Southwest Airlines, we take pride in being the airline with Heart, and that includes respecting our Planet. Environmental sustainability is an ongoing priority for our future, and we want to treat our Planet the way we treat our Customers—with respect that extends beyond takeoff and landing.
It’s an honor to share that Southwest was celebrated last month by D CEO Magazine as part of their 2023 Nonprofit & Corporate Citizenship Awards. Our ongoing environmental sustainability goals and efforts—including our Repurpose with Purpose program—helped us take home a win in the Sustainability Leadership category!
Specifically, our entry celebrated our refreshed climate strategy, including the work underway to help us move toward our goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Efforts across our Reduce, Replace, Offset, and Partner strategy demonstrate our intent to focus on environmental sustainability, and it’s an honor to be recognized for that work!
Our global sustainability initiative, Repurposed with Purpose, was also a factor in our award win. Through this program, more than a million pounds of aircraft seat leather have been upcycled into new products. The driving force behind Repurpose with Purpose has remained the same since its inception. When presented with an aircraft renovation initiative in 2014, we asked ourselves how Southwest could help prevent materials like aircraft seat leather from going to waste. Fast-forward to today, and we’re proud to partner with a variety of organizations to give thousands of pounds of leather new life. We’ve donated more than $1.3 million in grants and more than 1.4 million pounds of leather to provide employment, skills training, and other social benefits for organizations and communities through Repurpose with Purpose.
There’s so much work that happens across the Company to support our environmental sustainability efforts—which is what makes being recognized as a Sustainability Leadership honoree extra special!
