The results of a crowdsourced poll run on SUSTAINair social media channels between the end of March and the end of April 2021 were part of the digital campaign under the hashtag #CircularAviation.
In a month-long campaign to raise awareness about the sustainability of the circular aviation approach, the SUSTAINair project crowdsourced community responses to the question: What do you associate most with the term circular aviation?
Among the responses, the word most commonly associated with the term circular aviation is ´sustainability´, which is followed by the word ´zero waste´, the term ´R&D investment´, and the word ´recycling´. The third-place occupy the term ´circular economy´ and the word ´future´.
By submitting an answer on Slido, the participants generated a word cloud that was projected in real-time on the SUSTAINair homepage.
The calls for participation were shared on social media, whereas Twitter and LinkedIn communities provided the majority of the 65 responses.
Circular Aviation = Sustainability
Solutions connected to novel propulsion (including sustainable aviation fuels or hydrogen) and circular aviation are two sides of the same coin. The #CircularAviation campaign aimed to raise awareness about the concept of circular aviation, encompassing circular economy approaches tackling resource consumption and emissions along the entire value chain, including production of aircraft, maintenance, and end-of-life solutions.
The aviation value chain consists of numerous industries which are heavily interlinked. Therefore, stakeholders in the ecosystem fulfilling their responsibility in reducing the overall aviation environmental footprint without impacting economic growth and limiting the movement of passengers can choose a circular aviation approach in combination with novel propulsion systems.
The term circular aviation was introduced and elaborated in the white paper of the Future Sky joint research initiative of the Association of European Research Establishments in Aeronautics (EREA). (PDF here)
“In a nutshell, Circular Aviation is expected to support the implementation of circular and sustainable practices throughout all aspects of aviation, beyond in-flight operations and impacting, in particular, the design and the manufacturing of air vehicles.” (EREA 2020).
Audience
Towards a paradigm shift in aircraft design, manufacturing, and recycling
Advancing the research and development of technologies based on the circular economy approach is a process that requires collaboration. Raising awareness about circular aviation´s expected impact on the entire aviation value chain is the first step towards building a community for sustainability.
The next awareness-raising activity aimed at industry professionals, policymakers, and the interested public dedicated to the sustainable aviation is the EU Green Week Partner Event: Circular Aviation for Green Growth. Join us on the 8th of June 2021, at 15:00. Programme here.