Sustainability has become a part of all areas of our daily lives: from personal to professional, the topic is one of mass discussion. The aviation interiors industry is no different. Sustainability is increasingly integrated in design decisions, business discussions, and even brand identity. Most relate sustainable materials to recycled products through a circular economy. However, recovering materials to be recycled is a challenging process and essential step to foster material traceability. How do you provide recycled materials if you don’t have the infrastructure to provide a closed loop supply chain? Many companies resort to sustainability marketing gimmicks or greenwashing to accommodate the demands for recycled products.
Green Cabin Alliance (GCA) is a cross-industry group within the aircraft interiors supply chain leading discussions to address these challenges and promote a more sustainable cabin interiors industry. One of their core goals is to increase transparency, build common language, and improve reporting of carbon footprint data throughout the industry. To achieve these goals, collaboration across the entire supply chain will be key.
A founding member of GCA, SEKISUI KYDEX has been recycling KYDEX® Thermoplastics for over 20 years and supplying recycled products to a breadth of other industries. All aviation grade KYDEX® Thermoplastics are 100% recyclable, including materials with Infused Imaging™ Technology. Developing recycled materials for use in aviation interiors presents a new set of challenges, including material traceability, maintaining physical properties, and meeting stringent flame and smoke certifications.
KYDEX® 5555 RCL
SEKISUI KYDEX is excited to introduce a new flight ready, recycled product line, KYDEX® RCL. The initial product launch features KYDEX® 5555 RCL, utilizing recycled KYDEX® Thermoplastics. Because the recycled material is made from the KYDEX® 5555, it is specifically formulated to exceed low heat release requirements for aviation interiors.
This development came from years of recycling experience and a renewed interest in sustainable products from the aviation industry. Through partnership with STELIA Aerospace (a brand from Airbus Atlantic) and Team Plastique, SEKISUI KYDEX worked through technical requirements and validations to bring this product to launch.
The teams set out to develop a truly recycled product that would pass the technical requirements and provide the same level of reliability customers expect with KYDEX® Thermoplastics. The results of this collaboration bring us one step closer to a closed loop supply chain in our industry. Stop by SEKISUI KYDEX stand 5D40 at AIX to explore the journey of sustainable and customizable thermoplastics and see the materials in action at STELIA Aerospace’s stand 7A30 Hall B7 or Team Plastique’s stand 6C50A.