Airbus establishes Composite Recycling Advisory Board

The European airplane manufacturer Airbus has set up a new board to establish the company’s vision, strategy, objectives and road map for recycling and reusing composite materials. The Airbus Composite Recycling Advisory Board is part of the company’s transnational and transfunctional program, where various research and technology projects for recycling carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites are either underway or planned at Airbus' manufacturing sites in partnership with external organizations.

According to Airbus, the projects seek to examine and validate the techniques for recycling and reusing scrap from the CFRP manufacturing process, including hard "cured" scrap and softer "uncured" materials.

By the 2020-2025 time frame, Airbus says the project has an established target of 95 percent of CFRP manufacturing process scrap going through a recycling channel, with 5 percent of the scrap materials being recycled back into the aerospace sector.

Airbus says the development of its Composite Recycling Advisory Board is part of its commitment to a sustainable future in aviation and reducing the environmental impact throughout the entire jetliner life cycle, from design and manufacture to in-flight operations and end-of-life management.