Emirates Engineering has created an initiative that challenges university students to consider how retired aircraft materials can be repurposed into new products to reduce waste.
Titled Material Futures Studio, this six-week programme, led by Emirates Engineering’s Upcycling department, brings students together with aviation professionals to work on real-world industry challenges, with the aim of bringing in fresh thinking while also helping identify and develop the next generation of aviation talent.
The first edition of the Material Futures Studio programme brings together 23 students representing three Emirati institutions: Khalifa University, Emirates Aviation University, and the University of Sharjah.
The programme began with an orientation session and a tour of Emirates Engineering’s facilities, where students engaged with senior leaders and gained first-hand insight into maintenance operations like the A-check and C-checks being carried out on the Emirates fleet. They also visited the the upcycling shop to see how materials are being repurposed today.
Over the coming weeks, the students will use their learnings to devise new concepts and ideas to upcycle and reuse aircraft materials into new and useful products. They will be guided by team members from Emirates Engineering during the ideation and concept development stages.
The programme will conclude with a final showcase, where the students will present their concepts and prototypes for upcycled materials.
The initiative blends academia with industry, which can help give students practical skills and deepen their understanding of the engineering eco-system. It also provides the Emirates airline with an opportunity to engage with young talent while uncovering fresh ideas and driving innovation.
A wealth of materials for inspiration
The students have plenty of material to work with. Emirates has been working on one of the industry’s largest fleet retrofit programmes, a US$5 billion-dollar investment to fully refurbish and update 219 aircraft (Airbus A380s and Boeing 777s) across its fleet. Emirates recently passed the 100th aircraft retrofit milestone.
As part of this project, thousands of kilograms of high-grade leather, fabrics and other materials retrieved from the retrofitted aircraft are being repurposed through upcycling initiatives led entirely in-house by Emirates Engineering in Dubai. The dedicated team is already transforming retired aircraft materials into handcrafted products such as luggage in order to reduce waste.
You can view the retrofit process for the B777s below:
The Material Futures Studio programme builds on the airline’s broader upcycling efforts, such as the Aircrafted by Emirates collection of limited-edition lifestyle pieces featuring a range of luggage, bags and accessories, all crafted from reclaimed aircraft materials.
It also includes the Aircrafted KIDS initiative, which transforms fabrics and other materials recovered during the retrofit programme into handmade backpacks for children. To date, more than 4,000 backpacks have been donated to children across 11 countries.
Emirates has also invested more than AED 50 million (US$13.6 million) in transitioning to a closed-loop manufacturing model for its millions of items of inflight dining serviceware.
