As part of its Expert Series, the XPS Sustainability team had the opportunity to sit down with Cris Sutter from Sutter Aviation to discuss the current state of sustainability within the aviation industry.

Cris is a seasoned aviation business strategist and lead cabin designer, with more than two decades of experience in aircraft cabin design, development, and strategic business management. Having worked with major airlines and VIP completion centres worldwide, across both cargo and passenger programmes, he has led and overseen all design phases, from concept and development through to delivery. Cris is also the Managing Director of Sutter Aviation Consulting, where he provides guidance on cabin definition, design and configuration, fleet integration, asset management, and business strategy.

ESG in Aviation: From Buzzword to Measurable Impact

Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles are now widely acknowledged across the aviation sector, yet in practice they often remain little more than a buzzword. The real challenge lies in translating ambition into credible, measurable action. Meaningful progress requires sustainability goals to be grounded in robust frameworks, realistic operational constraints, and governance structures that can withstand regulatory scrutiny and avoid accusations of greenwashing.

Pressure for credible sustainability action is being driven by several converging factors. Emissions generated during aircraft and engine manufacturing are increasingly being scrutinised across the full production lifecycle, rather than during operation alone. At the same time, the industry is facing growing attention on Scope Three emissions across the wider value chain. Regulators and stakeholders alike are demanding greater transparency, improved measurement methodologies, and clearer differentiation between theoretical and actual CO₂ footprint reductions.

Design Decisions and Operational Efficiency

Some of the most significant sustainability gains in aviation originate at the design stage. Seemingly small decisions, when compounded over time, can deliver substantial carbon and cost savings. Quantifying these impacts through a cost-per-kilogram-per-year lens enables organisations to understand the true lifecycle value of individual choices.

Weight reduction remains one of the most effective levers, whether used to improve fuel efficiency or to increase cargo capacity without adding flights. Operational planning also plays a critical role. Optimising ground, air, and onboard service products can reduce volume, payload, and waste. For example, adjusting premium cabin catering loads from five meals per passenger to three can result in meaningful weight reduction. When assessed across an annual operational cycle, these marginal changes translate into measurable sustainability and economic gains.

The cumulative effect of marginal design improvements demonstrates that sustainability does not always require radical innovation. Disciplined optimisation can yield outsized results over the lifespan of an aircraft.

Retrofitting and Lifecycle Extension

Beyond new aircraft design, sustainability value can also be created by extending the life of existing assets. Converting passenger aircraft into cargo aircraft, and retrofitting modern cabins into in-service fleets, introduces a form of carbon amortisation. In this model, emissions associated with manufacturing are spread over a longer and more productive lifecycle, reducing the need for premature replacement.

Lifecycle extension shifts the sustainability conversation away from purely operational efficiency towards asset stewardship and alternative use cases. Alongside this trend, there is growing experimentation with renewable energy-backed digital signatures to support carbon credit claims. However, adoption remains uneven, and maturity varies significantly across regions and sectors.

Materials and Manufacturing Realities

Material choice is another area where sustainability narratives often diverge from lifecycle reality. Products marketed as recyclable are not the same as products made from recycled materials, and this distinction matters. In some modern manufacturing processes, recycled materials can generate 30 to 40 per cent more emissions than producing new materials, depending on energy sources, logistics, and processing methods.

Using recycled materials without assessing the full carbon footprint of the circular economy can therefore be counterproductive. This disconnect between marketing claims and lifecycle emissions data is a key contributor to growing concerns around greenwashing within the aviation supply chain.

Regulation and Industry Collaboration

Regulatory influence is increasingly shaping how the industry approaches sustainability. Authorities are encouraging the formation of sustainable design committees and promoting industry-wide sharing of lessons learned. This shift presents a clear opportunity for organisations capable of supporting evidence-based decision making, implementing repeatable sustainability frameworks, and establishing practical governance models that align engineering, operational, and commercial objectives.

Ultimately, the most meaningful long-term sustainability outcomes will not come from isolated initiatives, but from rethinking how aircraft are designed, operated, and managed. ESG in aviation is moving beyond aspiration towards accountability, and those who embed measurement, governance, and lifecycle thinking into their processes will be best positioned to lead that transition.

To learn how sustainability can be embedded across the aviation lifecycle, from design through to operation, connect with the XPS Sustainability team HERE.