Product responsibility means finding the right balance between social, economic and environmental commitments. At Airbus, our approach to product responsibility starts at the design stage. We select the right materials and use them efficiently during production. After aircraft delivery, we continue to take into account the environment by optimising aircraft operations and recycling end-of-life aircraft.
An aircraft has an average lifespan of approximately 30 years before retiring from service. We believe in managing our products' environmental footprint across the entire lifecycle—even after they leave the final assembly line.
Today, aircraft emit 80% fewer CO2 emissions per seat kilometre than they did 50 years ago. They are also 75% quieter. We invest in R&D to take aircraft performance in fuel efficiency and noise reduction to the next level. We also gain valuable data from our end-of-life management processes and integrate these findings back into the design.
A significant portion of our manufacturing footprint comes from the energy and resources required for our industrial practices. Today, approximately 85% of our 130,000 employees work under ISO 14001, which defines rigorous criteria for managing environmental responsibility. To optimise our environmental performance, we focus on four key areas:
Developing fuel-efficient aircraft does not end at the design stage. All in-service aircraft can continue to improve their fuel burn thanks to a number of innovative options and services.
Within the next 20 years, more than 12,000 aircraft are expected to retire from operations. If not properly recycled, these end-of-life aircraft will contribute to a lot of waste in our landfills.
In 2005, we were proud to be the first manufacturer to undertake a voluntary approach to aircraft decommissioning and aircraft recycling. Today, Airbus and Tarmac Aerosave have established a proven method for decommissioning, dismantling and recycling the entire Airbus aircraft product range in an environmentally responsible way—with up to 90% of aircraft eligible for reuse or recycling. For non-recyclable parts, we focus on safe disposal.
Since 2007, the project has achieved the following results: