At first glance, a suitcase might seem like just a travel companion. But in the hands of Samsonite Philippines, an old piece of luggage becomes something far more impactful: a school chair and a step toward sustainable living.

On May 22, 2025, Samsonite Philippines officially launched its highly anticipated Luggage Trade-In campaign in Makati City. Now in its third year, the initiative is a compelling example of circular sustainability initiatives action, diverting discarded luggage from landfills and transforming them into durable school chairs for underserved communities.

“Sustainability is a pillar for the Samsonite organization. In 2020, we institutionalized this under a sustainability program on a global scale. The importance of it is obvious,” said Michael Corpuz, Samsonite Philippines country manager during the launch.

This year’s campaign reinforces three core goals: promote conscious consumption, support environmental action, and enhance educational access.

Travelers can exchange their pre-loved luggage—regardless of brand, size, or condition—and enjoy 35 percent off on Samsonite’s Nuon, Octolite Neo, and Varro collections. For every luggage collected, Samsonite donates P100 to WWF Philippines.

The trade-in bags are given new purpose through a partnership with Envirotech Philippines, a waste recycling organization that grinds and shreds the materials and molds them into school chairs.

“What’s happening now is that countries are doing individual sustainability efforts, aligned, of course, with the global direction, and this cascades down to how Samsonite Philippines is doing it. So our partnership, if you will, with the schools, is really part of educating them as well for sustainability. So whenever we donate these chairs, it comes with sort of letting them know how and where this all came from,” Corpuz continued.

These are not ordinary chairs. Made from 100 percent recycled materials, each one is weather-proof, low maintenance, and built to last up to 15 years. To date, more than 300 of these chairs have already been donated to schools in Marinduque and Bataan—enough to fill at least 10 classrooms.

This is all part of Samsonite’s global sustainability strategy, “Our Responsible Journey,” building on its 115-year legacy of innovation with product, planet, and people in mind. Samsonite ranks 40th on Time magazine’s 2025 list of World’s Best Companies in Sustainable Growth. Under the list’s retail and consumer goods category, Samsonite ranks second in the world, reflecting the company’s commitment to environmental responsibility.

Samsonite gives students—and the next generation—a seat for better education. These are more than just chairs; they are a symbol of our commitment to a responsible journey toward a sustainable future.