Painting the A350XWB. Pictures

Fabrice Rémésy Head of Toulouse Paint Centre says “Green is Lean”.

“Here at the Airbus Paint Centre, we must lead by example in terms of eco-efficient innovation”, says Rémésy. “For example, the introduction of the revolutionary Base Coat / Clear Coat paint system allows a significant reduction in our paint usage (around 20%). Furthermore, this paint system is more durable in-service, therefore limiting the quantity of paint necessary for the overall lifecycle of an aircraft.”

“By replacing 3 coats of coloured paint with a single one with a much higher pigment concentration, we achieve a reduction in our VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) emissions into the atmosphere” said the Head of Toulouse Paint Centre.

“Some other actions (solvent consumption optimization through the use of pre-saturated wipes, low VOC painting systems as standard, etc.) have already been implemented in our Airbus paint-shops and have contributed significantly to reducing our VOC emissions. This new paint system will allow us to reduce the VOC emissions from our painting activities even further over the coming years.”

“These reductions are part of our full commitment to respect the Toulouse site’s environmental targets and objectives, and more generally to contribute to the continuous improvement of Airbus’ environmental performance in order to reach the 2020 objectives. The Airbus Paint Centre is well aware of their significant contribution to the overall Airbus emissions, and, as a responsible organization, that’s why we have a major role in the accomplishment of these objectives.”

“I would like to add that a solvent waste recycling project is currently being evaluated for the treatment of the used solvents resulting from the equipment cleaning operations that must be performed after every paint application. This will potentially achieve a significant reduction in new solvent consumption, whilst at the same time reducing our waste treatment costs. As soon as the potential benefits from this new system are confirmed it will be implemented in all of our paint-shops.”