Towards a Reference Framework of Practices to Align Aviation with the Circular Economy ISO 59004:2024 Standard

Abstract

Circular economy is considered essential towards sustainability in several sectors, including within the aviation sector. So far, the aviation sector focuses primarily on recycling, when discussing circular economy. This limits the effective application of circular strategies within the air transport system. A reference framework of practices, aligning circular economy with aviation, will contribute to implement circular strategies in the aviation sector. This work aims to provide the first foundational step towards a framework connecting circular economy strategies and aviation. Specifically, the present work builds on the newly released ISO standard 59004:2024 to link its resource management actions to the current understanding of circular economy and circularity in the aviation sector. To this end, the work proposes a definition of circular economy that suits the specific aviation context. Then, an interpretation of the circular economy strategies (known as resource management actions or R-approaches) is proposed for adapting them to aviation practices. The results of the present work will provide the foundation towards developing a practically applicable assessment methodology, suitable to measure the circularity performance of aviation.