The Aviation Circularity Consortium (ACC) is a network of organisations committed to building a circular economy for the aviation industry. Together we are creating a roadmap that will shape and strengthen new pathways to accelerate decarbonisation in heavy industry and transport supply chains.

We aim to catalyse a solution that creates value from the 8,000 end-of-life retired aircraft housed in boneyards around the world. This number is growing each year, with IATA estimating an additional 11,000 will be decommissioned in the next ten years. These discarded assets present a new source of high-value circular materials to recover for use in aviation and beyond. For example, an estimated US$630 million worth of carbon fibre (CF) is incinerated each year due to limitations in accessing recycling pathways, and producing it through traditional approaches using virgin materials is an extractive and energy-intensive process.

With technologies now capable of maintaining high-value properties of critical materials - such as CF - through recovery and reprocessing, we have an unprecedented opportunity to reuse high-value materials from end-of-life aircraft in new aircraft, after usable parts have been stripped out to support existing fleets. 

As Founding Organisations, we are committed to working together to drive tangible action towards this mission through dialogue and practical collaborations that pioneer affordable and accessible solutions for a low-carbon and resilient future. 

First, we will develop an implementation roadmap in collaboration with airlines, OEMs and suppliers. This roadmap will chart a path towards the certification of low-emission, reprocessed high-quality materials and parts for use in aviation products. The roadmap will be published in late 2024.

Second, we will engage with financial institutions to deploy sustainability-linked financial products that support supply chain transformation and resilience. Collective action on mobilising capital to strengthen supply chain resiliency will drive essential systemic change across aviation. Without it, the aviation sector will be constrained in its delivery of net zero targets. 

Through involvement in the ACC, participating organisations will demonstrate tangible action to contribute toward net zero commitments by:

• Assessing the results of supply chain emission reductions in their supply chain to consider for publication;

• Enabling the future of sustainable critical minerals by supporting efforts to shape the standards, technologies and markets of tomorrow;

• Joining a platform of investment leadership, through dialogue created with funding partners and shared expertise and resources to enable net zero supply chains.