Written by Oana Muresan
A 'Return to Service' for Retired Airplanes
When it comes to minimizing your impact on the world around you, one of the worst things you can do, it seems, is to travel. The carbon footprint, the disposable products, the excess electricity and the list could go on and on. But, as human beings, we can't expect to spend our lives in one spot. This is why Kynder exists, to negate the negative impact of travel and to create instead something beautiful and kind to Earth at the same time. And this is why PLANE Industries exists too.
A Sustainable Heritage
PLANE Industries was founded by two brothers who decided to do something about all of the old airplanes that were being put out of commission and would eventually go into a landfill pile or be incinerated. They were taught from an early age to reuse and repurpose everything by their father. Their initial venture was with only a few parts and mostly just to see what they could come up with. But their creativity and ingenuity brought them adoring customers who now are loyal followers of the company and have inspired the duo to create more and more unique items using recycled airplane parts which they sell on their website www.planeindustries.com.
The Craft of Aircraft Upcycling
The company makes everything from the old airplanes, creating quite the list of products for their customers. Having started with furniture, the line has expanded to luggage and electronic accessories and now to desk accessories. Each piece is crafted with exquisite craftsmanship, by hand, and each one is droolworthy.
As a traveler, their luggage selection is a must-see and although they don't have large pieces yet (we're crossing our fingers for some soon), the collection includes a weekender bag, messenger bag and a rucksack (or backpack). Each is made with material salvaged from the seats of old airplanes and is durable, lightweight, and flame and stain resistant which makes the pieces perfect for another lifetime of travel. The leather inserts and handles are made of vegetable tanned Italian leather and the interior is lined with 100% organic cotton. The electronic accessories are also made of the same fabric and include a laptop sleeve, tablet sleeve and phone sleeve.
High Design for Travel, Home & Hospitality
The pieces in their furniture collection are each unique and take advantage of displaying one part of an airplane. Their clock collection features the airplane doors while the bar and chairs are made of the air intakes from various aircraft. PLANE uses both commercial and military planes for their creations and not one disappoints. The furniture collection also includes lighting pieces and a drink cabinet. All in all, the furniture collection is what man-cave dreams are made of.
The desktop collection includes a fuselage phone holder, cowling candle holder, cowling pen holder, a cowling catch-all and desktop wings one of which is a pen holder and the other a paperweight. These pieces make use of the smaller parts of an airplane and it's great to see that PLANE is expanding their products to make use of everything a plane has to offer.
Being an eco traveler is becoming easier and easier. People are realizing the need to take care of the nature we're going to see and take pictures of and the success of PLANE Industries proves that their ideas of reusing the one thing most people travel by these days are resonating with more and more people. So go ahead, take that trip you've been wanting to. Travel to see that beautiful place. Explore another country. Just do me a favor and don't use disposable products, save water and electricity and recycle. Do that, stay Kynder, and invest in some PLANE luggage, and you'll be the ultimate eco traveler.
P.S. For more of our featured eco luggage, be sure to check out Oana's other blog 6 Eco-Friendly Luggage Options For Ecotourists.
Oana Muresan is a writer and eco enthusiast who aspires to share her love of all things green with the world. Her hobbies include gardening, cooking and probably watching too much NCIS. She's an ardent proponent of the sustainable lifestyle and runs DO Green, a company that promotes eco-friendly services for communities everywhere.
(For new visitors to our blog: Kynder is a travel platform featuring kind + eco hospitality establishments and tour companies around the globe. Feel free to explore our site to find new favorite places to stay, eat, treat and retreat!)