AIRCRAFT PLASTIC RECYCLING WITH AIRBUS

Client: Airbus
Focus: Industrial Waste Upcycling | Circular Design | Aviation Industry

SMALLrevolution, in collaboration with Airbus and Trebo, has developed and tested a mechanical upcycling pathway for high-performance aircraft cabin plastics.

The pilot focused on one of the most challenging material categories in aviation:

Fire-resistant PEI (polyetherimide) derived from overhead stowage bin components.

These materials are engineered for extreme conditions.
They are not designed for disassembly.
And they are not designed for recycling.

Yet they represent a significant untapped resource stream.

Each aircraft contains substantial volumes of polymer composites which ultimately become waste, of which today less than 10% is recovered, with the majority incinerated or landfilled.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the collaboration was to determine whether aviation-grade, flame-retardant polymers could be:

• Mechanically processed
• Re-engineered into mono-material systems
• Reintroduced into new applications without compromising structural or surface performance

This required moving beyond theoretical recyclability and into practical, production-relevant testing.

METHODOLOGY

Collection
Cabin components sourced via OEM and MRO channels

Identification
Polymer mapping and classification across material families

Transformation
Cleaning, controlled shredding, and re-extrusion in Denmark

Production
Rotational moulding into mono-material applications without additives

No resins.
No pigments.
No material blending.

RESULTS

Through multiple rounds of testing, the material was successfully processed and applied in:

• Sigrid 42 Podium
• Havn Modular Bench

Both outputs achieved:

• Structural stability
• Consistent surface finish
• Controlled colour expression

While maintaining the material’s inherent flame-resistant properties.

These outcomes demonstrate that high-performance aviation polymers can be mechanically reprocessed into durable, design-grade applications.