A Piece of Sky: breathing new life into old aircraft parts

For Anaïs, repurposing aircraft parts as furniture is not a full-scale replacement for conventional recycling. However, it is, she believes, a viable alternative to traditional waste disposal.

'By 'upcycling' non-quality and end-of-life parts, we make the most of some beautiful, rare materials, pay tribute to the skill involved in their manufacture, and demonstrate alternative, positive ways of dealing with waste,' she says.

Upcycling, also known as 'creative reuse,' is the process of transforming waste materials or unwanted products into new materials or products of better quality or for increased environmental value. Increasingly, manufacturers, consumers and governments are upcycling to keep old products out of landfills by transforming them into something new.

And Airbus is looking to play its part, too.

'Our role at the Chief Technology Office is to nurture innovative ideas wherever they come from,' explains Grazia Vittadini, Airbus CTO. 'This is why we created the BizLabs, to support entrepreneurs such as Anaïs and Jérémy by speeding up the transformation of their ideas into a viable business model aligned with our values.'

The 'Piece of sky' shop is now online. Visit the dedicated Instagram account to view the selection of armchairs, coffee tables and lamps currently available for purchase.