The Reputation Institute says 40% of a company’s market value is down to its ability to be ethical. To this end, Sustainability in MRO is a fine balance that providers must strive to maintain between their operational needs and sustainability goals (not just theirs) but of the entire aerospace industry. The ‘sustainability’ focus has assumed greater significance with net zero goals set in motion by the UN and further reinforced by the recent COP attendees. The aerospace industry finds itself under the spotlight for being responsible for nearly 12% of all carbon emissions in the transport sector.
MROs are gradually incorporating sustainability in their operational efficiencies while they serve a critical role that ensures the well-being of the airline industry and its high demands on TAT. MRO logistics’ is an important area that needs to be managed with care for the environment, and meet the demands of the fast-paced sectoral growth at the same time. Airlines, OEMs, Regulators, and Customers are realigning their thoughts and actions toward sustainability in aerospace, and MROs are naturally having to fall in line, redefining MRO processes and activities.
Incorporation of Cleaner Technologies
MROs have worked out innovative ways of incorporating sustainability practices such as achieving waste reduction, recycling, and repurposing materials like parts refurbishing and materials recycling, for a start. This itself will contribute to the reduction of the MRO sector’s carbon footprint.
Again, ensuring Time-critical logistics is another innovative way to bring in sustainability to MRO operations. A reliable and robust supply chain will ensure that refurbished parts reach their destinations early enough for reuse. This then negates the need to produce and transport newer parts. The benefits are substantial, where the carbon footprint caused by production and transportation processes and activities are arrested.
Sustainability in its facility/infrastructure can be incorporated by an MRO unit by curtailing and minimizing energy consumption and emissions during MRO activities. These then help save on operational costs and at the same time remain aligned to greater environmental responsibilities.
For example, leading global MRO HAECO installed the largest single solar panel on their hangar roof to reduce their electricity needs during the summer. Here the aerospace industry can contribute towards sustainability and protect the environment at the same time – making the MRO/Aerospace sector responsible corporate citizen. Customers/flyers prefer to choose airline brands that are known for being sustainably responsible throughout the entire gamut of operations, and that includes the maintenance and repair part as well. Therefore, greening efforts can and do make commercial sense.
The MRO sector in this manner plays a critical role in steering the aerospace industry toward realizing its sustainability goals while being on an eco-responsible trajectory.
Adoption of Advanced Technologies
Image Credit: Lufthansa Technik
MRO service providers have realized and made investments in advanced technologies that help incorporate sustainable processes, like predictive and condition-based maintenance. With non-stop monitoring of the condition of components and parts that advanced systems offer, timely repairs, corrections, and replacements can be made before these parts cause major problems/damage to airline operations. The outcome is the reduction of wastage of materials with the increased shelf-life of the components. This is a ‘smart’ investment where advanced technologies can bring greater operational efficiency, and allow reuse of materials, curtail wastage and emission build up.
With Time-critical services and predictive maintenance capabilities incorporated into the MRO industry’s DNA, Sustainability in MRO be delivered with complete adherence to regulatory requirements.
Image Credit: OptimizeMRO
Time Critical Services- Planning Flights
Ensuring time-critical services should be a given. To this end, the strategy adopted by logistics providers Royale International to reduce the negative impact on the environment includes services like the Next Flight Out (NFO) and On-Board Courier (OBC). These are merely options that serve as green alternatives to ensure on-time delivery of critical components in a sustainable manner. This is achieved by utilizing existing flight capacities instead of dedicated charted services, which means additional air traffic, leading to reduced carbon emission operationally, and curtailing the logistics provider’s carbon footprint per shipment.
According to studies conducted by Debagge, direct flights as opposed to connecting flights reduced carbon emissions by a whopping 100kg/person. Substantial benefits are accrued from direct flights and the logic of using scheduled commercial flights instead of charters/freighters. This is a show of commitment toward Sustainability in the MRO, from a logistics and supply chain perspective.
Sustainable MRO Material Management
“In a world where everything is connected, understanding the impact of our sourcing and buying decisions is critical,” says the CIPS guide to Ethical and Sustainable Procurement.
Embracing Sustainability in MRO must touch upon every area in the entire aerospace MRO operations from initial planning right up to end-of-life disposal, and all activities in between including procurement, logistics, materials management, and importantly assessment and planning, and implementing sustainability goals.
Carefully assessing the impact on the environment caused due to MRO materials procurement, and sourcing practices, transportation, and disposal.
An important task then for any MRO outfit will be to identify and deal with suppliers and logistics providers who have weaved in sustainability in their organizations with conviction. Assurance and adherence to this would require constant monitoring, data collection, tracking, and reporting. The task does not quite end there. Components and products on reaching the end of their lifecycle must be repurposed or recycled, to lessen their harsh impact on the environment.
MROs and the aerospace sector realise that customers continue to patronise companies that are not divorced from their ethical standards and remain transparent while endeavouring to make profits.
According to David Loseby, Director of Procurement at Rolls-Royce. “You must make sure your KPIs are aligned to the policy so you can be sure that you deliver,” he says.
Importantly, sharing experiences, and knowledge updates, and communicating openly and transparently are key to getting suppliers and key stakeholders on board for a robust run of Sustainability in MRO.
Global MROs and their Sustainability Efforts
Image Credit: Lufthansa Technik
Lufthansa Technik has introduced certain smart initiatives to conserve water and fuel and cut down on emissions. Their Cyclean® property saves up to 80t carbon emissions per year by washing aircraft engines say PW1100 regularly with Cyclean®. This also has a wastewater collection system for clean and safe removal of wastewater without environmental damage.
AeroSHARK
Image Credit: Lufthansa Technik
Lufthansa Technik’s AeroSHARK is a nature-inspired riblet film jointly developed with BASF, using sharkskin technology, reduces the drag on an aircraft exterior, achieving better aerodynamics, and rendering them one percent more fuel-efficient. By now, 16 aircraft modified with the drag-reducing riblet film are roaming the skies. Boeing 777 aircraft fleet of Swiss International Air Lines and Lufthansa Cargo have benefitted from this better management of fuel economy.
Lufthansa Technik encourages and takes pride in their employees’ sustainability drives in their local communities.
GreenERmro
StandardAero’s GreenERmro endeavours to achieve sustainability and reduce the impact on the environment by design. Energy reduction methods include modification of usage, LED and use control systems, optimized compressed air systems/pressure reductions, process tank heating controls, etc. The GeenERmro added their areas of focus to include operations (energy, emissions, waste), engine testing (testing efficiency, Sustainable Aviation Fuels), green procurement (materials purchased and dispositioned) supporting the production life cycle, logistics (low and/or zero carbon transit) and ultimately, the products and services we provide. Users benefit from reductions in resource use, waste, energy, and carbon emissions.
Image Credit: StandardAero
Their greening efforts soon will expand to Europe, Asia and the United States, with plans to introduce decarbonization of electricity, solar power generation, battery energy storage systems, power purchasing agreements, and carbon offsetting.
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