ELE ATHER
“THERE IS AN
OPPORTUNITY
FOR AIRLINES TO
BENEFIT FROM
CONSUMERS
BEING MORE
ECO-CONSCIOUS”
aircraftinteriorsinternational.com
ANNUAL SHOWCASE 2020 117
JetBlue has
fitted custom-made
ELeather seat covers
in its latest Airbus
A321neo cabins
1. ELEATHER IS FLYING WITH MORE
THAN 200 AIRLINES, INCLUDING FOUR
OF THE WORLD’S LARGEST
2. ELEATHER CAN BE STITCHED TO
CREATE VARIOUS EFFECTS, JUST LIKE
TRADITIONAL LEATHER
SUSTAINABILITY TAKES FLIGHT
When we think about sustainable
transport, our first thoughts are usually
about carbon or other emissions. Much
has been said around this in relation to
celebrities frequently using private jets,
and Elton John himself spoke widely about
his carbon offset contributions.
The aviation industry is responsible for
around 2% of all human-induced carbon
dioxide (CO2 emissions). When we look
more closely at the data, around 80% of
these emissions are generated from
flights of over 1,500km (930 miles), for
which there is no practical alternative
mode of transport. Today’s jet aircraft
are over 80% more fuel efficient per seat
kilometre than the first jets of the 1960s,
so what else can the aviation industry do
to address consumer concerns when it
comes to sustainability?
The aviation industry is already making
wider positive steps when it comes to
being more environmentally conscious –
beyond just offering travellers the
opportunity to purchase carbon offsets
for their journeys. Aircraft design is also
playing a part in responding to changing
consumer demands, with winglets being
added to fleets to improve efficiency
being just one example.
When building new aircraft, or
refurbishing existing ones, airlines
have an opportunity to make sustainable
cabin design decisions too. For
‘responsible travellers’, a cabin fitted
with unsustainable materials is an
unwelcome sight. The man-made fibres
or plastics that you’ll find on the vast
majority of airplane seats are hardly
great for the planet: they often contain
harmful chemicals, are difficult to recycle
/aircraftinteriorsinternational.com