United Airlines life vests find repurposed meaning — in fashion accessories

You're in line to disembark from a United Airlines flight, when you spot a piece of bright — really bright — yellow fabric poking out of the bag of the person in front of you.

The fabric has step-by-step illustrations of how to secure a life vest. You summon the nearest flight attendant, proud that you've stopped a theft.

You should have minded your own business. It turns out, the bag is part of United's "Upcyled" line, a series of products introduced last year that are made from the airline's old life vests. For $13, you can buy a recycled key holder or, for $36, a carry-on cosmetic bag. The airline offers four items in all, but says it is looking to expand the line.

The yellow vests have a life expectancy of eight to 10 years, according to the airline's web site. That means United is disposing of about 19,000 vests annually — just from its Boeing 737 fleet. That doesn't include crew or infant vests, the airline says.

"While working to dispose of expired life vests ..., I wanted to find a more creative solution to divert this material from landfill," Erin Taylor, United's manager of environmental affairs, says on the United web site. "Thankfully I was able to connect with a company (that) upcycles the life vest material ... into fun and practical products to be sold. I hope that this project sparks continued discussions around our waste streams and other potential upcycling opportunities.”

Taylor was talking about Bag2Life, a Germany-based company.

"Since 2010, we have breathed new life into more than 145 tons of original aviation materials with our B2L and BAG TO LIFE brands," according to the company's English-language version of the web site, bag2lifeamerica.com. Bag to Life offers dozens of items, from bags to oven gloves to an cooking apron.

The company only manufactures United's line; it doesn't sell them.

To learn more, go to unitedshop.com.