CHICAGO, Oct. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- United
Airlines employees this week are volunteering at hubs across the
company's network to assemble more than 15,000 hygiene kits that
the airline is donating to charities in its hub markets and
communities in the United States
impacted by Hurricane Matthew. United is the first airline to
partner with Clean the World, which works with hotels around the
globe to prevent millions of hygiene-related deaths each year by
providing soap and hygiene education to make handwashing a lifelong
habit and encourage childhood development. The volunteer events
mark the latest step in United's ongoing effort to reduce its
impact on the environment and support the communities it
serves.
Earlier this year, United teamed up with Clean the World to
repurpose items from the airline's international premium cabin
amenity kits and donate the hygiene products to those in critical
need. United expects to divert more than 60,000 pounds of material
that would otherwise go to landfills within the first 12 months of
the program. United volunteers are assembling the repurposed items
into thousands of new hygiene kits, which include soaps, shampoos,
toothpastes and other hygiene products.
"United is committed to playing an active role in the
communities we serve, and our employees around our network are
working together to help those in need," said Brett Hart, United's executive vice president
and general counsel. "Partnering with Clean the World enables us to
help further address important issues that matter to our employees
while also lessening our impact on the environment."
"The success of Clean the World hinges on the support of great
partners like United," said Shawn
Seipler, Clean the World's founder and chief executive
officer. "As our first airline partner, United sets a precedent for
other companies outside the hotel and event management industries.
United's amenity kit recycling program – and the volunteer efforts
of its employees – will contribute to saving the lives of thousands
of individuals in critical need."
United continues to bring more sustainable products and services
to its operation, from Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED)-certified terminals in Houston and San
Francisco to sustainably sourced illy coffee.
In 2015, the airline saved nearly 30 million gallons of jet fuel
through emissions reduction efforts, equal to removing more than
60,000 cars from the road. Throughout the past seven years, United
has recycled nearly 30 million pounds of aluminum cans, paper and
plastic from its flights and facilities. The airline's ongoing
upcycling program diverts advertising material from landfills while
creating unique travel bags and accessories.
United recently made history by becoming the first U.S. airline
to use commercial-scale volumes of sustainable aviation biofuel,
which is part of the fuel on all United flights from its
Los Angeles hub.
For more information on United's commitment to environmental
sustainability, visit united.com/ecoskies.
About Clean the World
Clean the World is a social enterprise dedicated to the mission
of saving millions of lives around the world while simultaneously
diverting hotel waste from landfills. The organization collects
discarded soap and other hygiene products from more than 4,000
hotel and resort partners and operates recycling centers in
North America, Asia, and Europe. Clean the World provides hygiene
education and microlending to make handwashing and local soap
purchases a lifelong habit in developing regions. Through its
hygiene kit program, Clean the World provides personal care items
to relief organizations throughout North
America. Since 2009, more than 35 million bars of Clean the
World soap have been distributed in 100 countries. More
information: http://www.cleantheworld.org.
About United
United Airlines and United Express operate more than 4,500
flights a day to 339 airports across five continents. In 2015,
United and United Express operated more than 1.5 million flights
carrying more than 140 million customers. United is proud to have
the world's most comprehensive route network, including U.S.
mainland hubs in Chicago,
Denver, Houston, Los
Angeles, New
York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates more than 720
mainline aircraft, and this year, the airline anticipates taking
delivery of 21 new Boeing aircraft, including 737NGs, 787s and
777s, as well as six used Airbus A319 aircraft. The airline is a
founding member of Star Alliance,
which provides service to 192 countries via 28 member airlines. For
more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or
connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United
Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol
UAL.
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SOURCE United Airlines