Intense pressure on business sectors to set and meet clear targets for sustainable outcomes requires shifting away from traditional approaches to a synergised and systemic framework.
This change embraces movement towards the circular economy, which asks society to look past the take-make-use-dispose approach to consumption to find a much less wasteful and damaging way forward. The circular economy concept offers a systems solution framework that calls for transformation-leading behaviour to keep materials in high-value use as long as possible (including the elimination of waste) and support the regeneration of nature.
Applying the principles of the circular economy can lead to more effective and longer-term achievement of sustainable practices as industries, including aviation, seek to reduce their climate impact. This is particularly important in sectors that have committed to achieving net zero, but where—often—actions lag behind stated ambition.
In aviation, demand for new and advanced buildings, infrastructure, services, products, technology and territory, for both land and airside activities, remains unyielding, and is correlated directly with the expanding and diversifying expectations, needs and capabilities of modern society: safe and speedy global travel, access to mobile data and intelligent systems, and convenient, well-connected and digitally enabled places to work, rest and play.
Read more about the circular economy and discover applications in aviation.