Thank you, Marco Aurisicchio for inviting us to a fantastic day at the Imperial College London and Dyson School of Design Engineering. Loved the passion and enthusiasm from the students and the fresh approach they take to aviation design engineering and material sustainability.
Associate Professor in Engineering Design and Sustainability & Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Fellow
Continuing their work in the #SustainableDesignEngineering module, last week our second-year MEng students analysed the systems that aircraft seats interact with. This exploration involved considering elements such as infrastructure, data, key actors, value and policy. To determine the causes contributing to the lack of circularity and identify actionable pathways for system change, the students modelled the systems using the Flow Mapper tool. As part of this work, we hosted Elina Kopola from the Green Cabin Alliance and Mitchell Johnstone from JPA Design, who delivered talks and joined our students in tutorials. Elina discussed with the students the need for the aviation industry to adopt more sustainable practices, highlighting both opportunities and key barriers to achieving sustainability. She particularly emphasised the importance of material innovation, while also addressing barriers, such as the complexities of aviation certification and the absence of supportive legislation. Mitch shared practical examples of innovation in aircraft seat design, including project AIRTEK - an innovative initiative to create a sustainable, lightweight business class seat. The project aims to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions through a streamlined design that enhances passenger comfort and production efficiency. Many thanks to both Elina and Mitch for engaging with our students and contributing to their learning journey ! Dyson School of Design Engineering Imperial College London #sustainability #circulareconomy #systemsthinking #designengineering #greenaviation