Icelandair Unveils Sustainable Flora Amenity Kits Inspired by Local Art and Nature
The new kits feature the artwork of local designer Sara Riel and are now available to Saga Premium and Saga Premium Flex passengers
Photo: Courtesy of Icelandair
Icelandair has launched its new Flora amenity kits for premium passengers, designed with Icelandic art and nature in mind and prioritizing sustainability.
The Icelandic flag carrier designed the new amenity kits in collaboration with Sara Riel, a local artist who has become well-known in Iceland due to her large murals in Reykjavik and across the country.
Icelandair’s Flora amenity kits have specifically taken inspiration from Riel’s Flóran (The Flora) mural, an 8-meter (26ft) high mural in the Icelandic capital that spans three walls and depicts plant and herb species both from Iceland and further afield.
Photo: Courtesy of Icelandair
The Flóran mural was created in 2019 with the help of local school children, who were asked to imagine which plant they would be if they were one. The artist, Riel, collected their answers, including Icelandic plants, common garden plants, and tropical species, and then created three sketches of vegetation maps based on the children’s responses.
Photo: Courtesy of Icelandair
She transformed these sketches into bold-colored forms and shapes, which she layered on top of each other in the style of a floral bouquet. These layers created the final mural.
Photo: Courtesy of Icelandair
The artistic style of the Flóran is featured heavily in Icelandair’s Flora amenity kits, both on the kit’s exterior and on the items it contains. As well as essential items for a comfortable long-haul flight, such as earplugs, a dental kit, eyeshade, and socks, each amenity kit also contains some illustrated postcards – a gift from Riel herself.
The kits also contain lip balm and hand cream from Swedish brand Verso Skincare. According to Iceleandair, Verso’s commitment to innovation, science-based, sustainable products, and its focus on equality and diversity matches the airline’s core values.
Photo: Courtesy of Icelandair
Icelandair also claims that its new amenity kits are sustainable and reusable. The two variations of the bag are made with kraft paper from renewable wood pulp, making the bags all-natural, biodegradable, and recyclable. The strength and durability of the material also ensure the bags are long-lasting, while they can also be hand-washed.
“In designing our new kit, our goal is to bring passengers something beautiful and useful while minimizing our impact on nature,” said Icelandair in a press release. “Of course, we aspire to make their flight more enjoyable, but we have broader ambitions as well: To bring the spirit of Iceland to each journey.”
Photo: Sara Riel. Courtesy of Icelandair
The airline is now distributing complimentary kits to all Saga Premium and Saga Premium Flex passengers on flights to and from North America, including 13 destinations in the U.S.
Icelandair’s new amenity kits replace the award-winning Dýralíf (Wildlife) kits, which featured a range of artworks inspired by local Icelandic wildlife, including a puffin, arctic fox, and an Icelandic horse and raven.
