- MOTOR Y AL AIRE puts Iberia and Envera at the forefront of sustainability
- It generates employment for people with disabilities and will help the Red Cross, Caritas, Mensajeros de la Paz and Humana, among other NGOs.
- Contributes to 11 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Madrid | June 1, 2022
Envera and Iberia have launched a pioneering project for the recovery and recycling of the airline's uniforms, which, as of this Wednesday, will be used for new uniforms for passenger service personnel, which means that 6,500 airline employees will no longer use an average of 14 items of clothing and accessories each, or, in other words, around 52.5 tons of textile products.
Faithful to the commitment to sustainability that promotes recovery and recycling, drivers of the circular economy and green employment, Iberia and Envera join forces in the MOTOR AND AIR project with which 80% of these garments will live a second life through reuse through solidarity donations that contribute to improving the lives of the most vulnerable. The other 20% that cannot be reused will be transformed through recycling processes into other materials, and those that are discarded due to their low quality will be used for energy recovery as fuel.
To this end, Envera has installed several containers available for Iberia employees to deposit their old uniforms, which will then be managed by its professionals with disabilities.
AT THE FOREFRONT OF SUSTAINABILITY
With the impulse towards the circular economy that MOTOR Y AL AIRE will give to the garments of the old uniforms, Iberia and Envera become the spearhead of a way of doing things in Spain still very incipient: the latest analysis of used clothing collection in Spain by Modare, sponsored by Caritas, estimates that, annually, about 990,000 tons of textiles go to landfill.
In our country, on average, only 12.16% of the textile waste generated each year is collected. This figure clashes head-on with the requirements of the European Union and the recent approval in Spain of the Law on Waste and Contaminated Soils which, as far as textiles are concerned, prohibits the destruction of surpluses, determines that selective collection will be compulsory in 2025 and strongly supports reuse, among other measures.
With this collection, recovery and reuse project, as well as textile recycling, Iberia, in collaboration with Envera, is at the forefront of companies committed to the Sustainable Development Goals set out in the UN Agenda 2030, implementing a way of doing things that opens the way in Spain.
INTEGRATION INTO THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY
This project is based on the circular economy, which optimizes the use of available materials and products to maintain their value in the economy as a whole for as long as possible, maximizing the resources that return to the production process and minimizing waste generation.
With the circular economy of MOTOR Y AL AIRE, Envera makes a new leap from the traditional model based on produce, use and throw away, to the new paradigm of reduce, reuse and recycle, as part of a system of resource utilization that contributes to the rationalization of the use of natural resources without compromising the future of the next generations.
GREEN AND SOCIAL JOB CREATION AND THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
With the reuse of textiles, both organizations contribute to the fight against climate change, since for every kilo of clothing recovered, the emission of 6.1 kg of CO2 is avoided, according to a study by the Human Federation. People to People.
It also generates employment directly aimed at protecting the environment and seeks to minimize the impact on the health of the planet. In addition, MOTOR Y AL AIRE does so in the wake of the best intentions that have united Envera and Iberia for over 45 years, placing at the core of this action the defense of the person and especially the most vulnerable, people with disabilities.
This project will provide employment for six people with disabilities. As Envera points out, "they will be the engine that launches the plan into the air and makes it fly".
NEW OPPORTUNITIES THAT IMPROVE THE LIVES OF PEOPLE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF SPAIN
The garments recovered for use will be donated as humanitarian aid to social projects in Spain for vulnerable people and refugees (Red Cross, Cáritas Diocesana, CEAR, Mensajeros de la Paz, Fundación Hospital San José, Mundo Justo, Fundación Atenea) and international development cooperation programs (AUDE, Equipo Vicente del Bosque de Senegal, Hombre Nuevo Tierra Nueva, Voluntarios por África...).
Social entities with which Envera, in its commitment to help the most vulnerable, has been working in recent years, thus making people with intellectual disabilities the protagonists of solidarity and networking.
EXEMPLARITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Flying is exciting! Envera has been flying with Iberia since 1977, bringing people together and connecting stories, to make a great dream come true: that, on life's journey, people with intellectual disabilities can take their place in the world with dignity. And they do it in a sustainable way, reducing the impact on the environment and contributing to create a fairer and healthier society.
With MOTOR Y AL AIRE, a new direction is given to the disused uniform garments and the focus is placed on Iberia's exemplary role as a responsible company working towards a more sustainable, decarbonized and socially committed aviation model.
