Contributed by Lori Browning, Aircraft Interior Designer
In my previous post, Exploring "Green" Materials for Aircraft Interiors, I discussed how I was inspired by some recent eco-friendly fabric collections, and I found that the properties that make them green also make them suitable for aviation burn regulations.
I went beyond fabrics and started looking into carpets, veneers, and other materials used in corporate aircraft to find the most sustainable products available. Here are 12 of my favorite materials and how they might be used to design an eco-friendly aircraft interior:
- 1A - Seats: Green Hides Leather, processed using environmentally-friendly, low-emission mineral tanning formulas and finished with water-based products.
- 1B - Cabinet interior: LEED-certified material for recycled content, indoor air quality and rapidly renewable resources.
- Carpet option: 100% rapidly renewable, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified wool.
- 1C - Carpet option: 100% rapidly renewable, LEED-certified wool.
- 1D - Divan: Bamboo fiber material.
- 2A - Carpet option: 100% rapidly renewable, LEED-certified wool.
- 2B - Sidewalls: 100% natural silk.
- 2C - Countertops: quartz surface made from 93% quartz, an abundant natural resource with low levels of Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions.
- 2D - Lower side wall: 100% natural silk.
- 3A - Divan pillows: bamboo and organic cotton.
- 3B - Lavatory panel and seat pillows: 100% natural silk.
- 3C - Cabinetry: rapidly-renewable wood veneer.
- 3D - Baggage compartment: natural wool and cotton, 100% compostable yarns.
Lori Browning is a Designer at Duncan Aviation’s Battle Creek, Mich. (BTL) facility, specializing in business aircraft modifications, completions and refurbishments. She began working in aviation in 2006.
