Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) announced today the launch of LUV Seat: Repurpose with Purpose, a global sustainability initiative to upcycle 43 acres of used leather seat coverings into new products that will benefit communities by providing employment, skills training, and donated products. For more information on the project, visit www.swamedia.com/luvseat or visit Nuts About Southwest to read the blog post here.

LUV Seat: Repurpose with Purpose was developed following the Company’s Evolve program, a large-scale redesign of all 737-700 aircraft, a portion of its 737-300 fleet, and is now standard on all new planes. The Evolve program replaced the leather seat covers and other interior elements with environmentally friendly materials. Through this redesign, Southwest reduced the weight of each aircraft by more than 600 pounds.

LUV Seat is an innovative upcycling project born from the Evolve program. By donating the used leather for social impact and keeping it out of landfills, Southwest Airlines is reinforcing its commitment to long-term global sustainable business operations and positioning itself as a leader in corporate responsibility.