Acro Aircraft Seating and the Aircraft Interior Recycling Association (AIRA) have collaborated to prove the concept that economy class seats can be recycled and form part of a circular economy.
The two companies have been working together for three years. AIRA has audited, and disassembled for recycling, Acro’s Series 9, 6 and 3 seats to ensure that when the seats reach the end of their lives, the materials they are made of can be separated efficiently and recycled effectively.
Working in collaboration, Acro and AIRA have devised and created a Component Recycling Manual (CRM) which combines the component part numbers with their unique AIRA recycling code. This enables easier identification and separation of the parts into specific material groups. Providing uncontaminated materials for recycling is one of the key steps in building a closed loop supply chain.
“It is really exciting to see the building blocks for a fully closed loop supply chain go into place,” said Al Roots, Acro’s chief industrial designer. “I would say that we are now around three-quarters of the way there. Some materials have already entered the circular economy. However, to significantly reduce our emissions in production we must become less reliant on virgin material and use recycled material that is certified. This is why the work by AIRA is so important.”
“We now know the AIRA Q system works,” Roots added. “The aviation industry now needs to create demand for these materials so they can be incorporated into future products.”
“It has been great to work with Acro on proving the concept of this system,” said Tony Seville, director of AIRA. “It has been such a positive experience to work with a company who had the foresight to fully commit to engineering and designing seats so that when they come to the end of their flying lives, they won’t head to landfill.”
“Thanks to the work and innovation of Acro, they have helped us prove that our system works and design a CRM that will help with the recycling of the seat parts,” Seville continued. “We are now making great progress in creating the demand for the materials from the seats. It’s a really exciting time as together we are creating a true circular economy for aircraft seating.”
“Acro has really led the way when it comes to true recyclability in aircraft interiors,” said Seville. “It has invested time, money and materials into working with us to get us where we are today, and I believe that we aren’t far away now from creating an aircraft interior circular economy.”
