Recaro Aircraft Seating nominated for the 2013 Crystal Cabin Award

“We have made professional environmental protection and resource conservation an integral part of our company strategy, which aims to create a green passenger cabin,” explains Dr. Mark Hiller, Chief Executive Officer of Recaro Aircraft Seating. “We have dedicated ourselves to lightweight design. We have also introduced a comprehensive environmental management system at our company’s sites. In addition, we are systematically optimizing energy efficiency at our assembly plants. We are now taking the next logical step in this strategy with our environmental assessment.”

The aircraft seat manufacturer utilizes a life cycle assessment process that enables the company to analyze and evaluate the environmental impact of its seats. For this process, the company has been nominated as finalist for the 2013 Crystal Cabin Award in the “Greener Cabin, Health, Safety & Environment” category. “Today, more than ever, airlines are looking for environmentally friendly solutions as a way to reduce fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions. The weight of the products installed in the cabin, the materials used, and their manufacturing processes can contribute to this,” explains Dr. Mark Hiller. “Using our environmental assessment process, we can objectively prove how environmentally friendly our products are. Thus, we have created a tool that creates transparency and facilitates the purchasing decision.”

Using the LCA, Recaro Aircraft Seating scientifically and systematically evaluates the effects of its products on the environment across the products’ entire life cycle. In a pilot project which will be presented at the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2013, the company conducted an environmental assessment for its BL3520 seat. Each of the seat’s parts was carefully evaluated in order to assess its overall environmental impact. Not only was the finished seat itself analyzed, but also the selection of materials used in the seat, the manufacturing process, transport distances, the seat assembly, and last but not least the usage phase of the seat in the aircraft itself.

“Thus we were able to create an ecological profile of the seat,” says Dr. Martin Wäldele, Head of Innovation Management at Recaro Aircraft Seating. “The knowledge gained in this process can be used early in product development and when evaluating the product. Then we can select concepts that significantly reduce the amount of energy expended during production as well as CO₂ emitted during the usage phase. In this way we can improve the seat’s CO₂ footprint across its entire life cycle.”

For the airlines, Recaro Aircraft Seating’s LCA process does not just have ecological advantages. They also benefit economically from Recaro products. The materials chosen for the seat and the ingenious design from an ecological perspective have a positive influence on the seat’s weight, which pays off in financial terms. The total cost of ownership across the entire life time of the seat is dramatically reduced because of the weight-saving elements. This argument has already won over numerous airlines: more than 150,000 units of the BL3520 seat have been ordered by international airlines since its introduction in late 2010.

At this year’s Aircraft Interiors Expo, Recaro Aircraft Seating will emonstrate its innovative strength, not only using the example of the environmental assessment, but also with product premieres. The company will be presenting its new economy class seat for longrange flights which is setting the standard in terms of weight, comfort and design. Among the highlights at the Recaro stand is also a new concept seat for business class which offers innovative answers to future market demands. The Recaro portfolio at the show is completed by current products for every purpose and all cabins in the economy class – from short-haul to long-haul flights.