THE HAGUE, Netherlands, 30 May 2024 - Circularise, a foremost supply chain traceability platform, and Airbus, a globally recognized aircraft manufacturer, in collaboration with key industry players, are excited to announce the successful conclusion of a Proof of Concept (PoC) for Digital Product Passports (DPP) within the aircraft cabin industry. The DPP created within this pilot project serves as an initial proposal to build a new level of aircraft interior cabin traceability towards circularity.
The aviation industry has been consistently improving aircraft recycling. However, achieving 100% recycling of aircraft cabin interior components remains a challenge. The cabin, accounting for approximately 10 to 15% of the total empty aircraft weight, is a crucial area of focus.
The project, initiated by Airbus and Circularise in June 2023, aimed to harness digital traceability technologies and DPPs to address pressing sustainability issues and minimize the environmental footprint of aviation waste. The project brought together key industry players including raw material manufacturers Asahi Kasei, Neste, and Toray, manufacturers Diehl, Stelia, and Thales, and end-of-life operators such as MRO provider Lufthansa Technik, under the leadership of Airbus and Circularise.
The group tested the implementation of DPPs as a data carrier for cabin interior components, enabling comprehensive traceability from raw material sourcing to end-of-life disposal or reuse.
By combining real product data and simulated data, the team created a “Digital Product Passport” for an Airbus A350-1000 cabin on the Circularise platform. This included 88 nodes representing individual cabin components, from raw materials to the final product, providing detailed lifecycle information. This ensures that materials are effectively reused or recycled at the end of their lifecycle, rather than ending up in landfills.
“Digital Product Passports built on true supply chain traceability is a key tool in understanding and improving the lifecycle management of aircraft components,” said Mesbah Sabur, founder of Circularise.
The project's importance lies in its potential to enhance recycling and circularity rates of cabin components through digital technologies. This initiative showcases the power of collaboration and innovation in creating an industry traceability framework.
About Circularise:
Circularise is a digital product passport and mass balance bookkeeping software provider founded in The Netherlands in 2016. Circularise’s software system helps suppliers in chemicals, plastics, battery materials, metals, and other industries to trace materials and share necessary data without risking sensitive information. By extension, it helps brands gain visibility into their Scope 3 emissions and other metrics, which is aligned with the regulatory push around Digital Product Passports, the SEC’s proposed climate risk disclosure rules, and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.
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