SEATTLE—Boeing and ELG Carbon Fibre are partnering on a project to recycle excess aerospace-grade composite material. The agreement is the first of its kind in the aerospace industry. It covers excess carbon fiber from 11 Boeing plants and will reduce solid waste by more than 1 million pounds a year.
“As the largest user of aerospace-grade composites from its commercial and defense programs, Boeing has been working for several years to create an economically viable carbon fiber reuse industry,” says Tia Benson Tolle, Boeing a and fabrication director for product strategy and future airplane development. “[We] improved [our] production methods to minimize excess and developed a model for collecting scrap material.”