Emirates has partnered with charity United for Wildlife to launch a series of amenity kits highlighting eight of the most endangered species on the planet.
The amenity kits are now being offered to premium economy and economy class customers on long-haul flights globally.
The animals featured on the pouches are some of the most trafficked creatures in the world, according to Emirates. These include the green sea turtle, African elephant, blue macaw, gorilla, hammerhead shark, lion, pangolin and the black rhino.
The wildlife amenity kit pouches are reusable and made from washable Kraft paper, with bespoke art of the animals printed in non-toxic soy-based ink.
Contents include “durable travel essentials” made from materials that reduce the use of virgin plastic. For instance, a toothbrush is made from a combination of wheat straw and plastic, and the socks and eyeshades are made from recycled plastic – rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate).
Due to popular requests from customers, Emirates will also be phasing earplugs back into the amenity kits at the end of the year.
United for Wildlife was founded by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in 2014 to protect endangered species from the illegal wildlife trade.
The charity shared some statistics to highlight the pressing issue. Globally 100 elephants are poached daily, meaning that elephants could be extinct in the wild by 2025 at current poaching rates.
Additionally, there are now only 30,000 rhinos left in the wild compared to the 500,000 that existed at the start of the 20th century.
David Fein, co-chair of United for Wildlife, said:
“The illegal wildlife trade is international organised crime that is driving many iconic species around the world towards extinction at an alarming rate. Airlines and other transport operators have a huge role to play in disrupting the traffickers’ supply chains.
“Emirates has consistently demonstrated leadership and commitment in tackling this global threat. We are delighted to see the new amenity kits from Emirates now onboard and hope that passengers find them informative and inspiring.”
The Gulf carrier is a member of the United for Wildlife Transport Taskforce, and has zero tolerance towards the illegal trade of wildlife and wildlife products.
Its freight arm, Emirates SkyCargo, has implemented a complete ban on hunting trophies of elephants, rhinoceros, lions and tigers.
