Airbus has partnered with Fairmat, a deeptech company specializing in recycled carbon fiber materials, to develop new methods for dismantling and repurposing carbon composite panels from aircraft. The collaboration aims to create circular solutions applicable across the aerospace industry and beyond.
The partnership, unveiled on March 12, 2026, at JEC World 2026 in Paris Nord Villepinte, aligns with Airbus’s broader strategy to explore the technological building blocks needed for future circular economy models throughout the lifecycle of its products. This move underscores the growing industry focus on sustainability and waste reduction in aerospace manufacturing.
Fairmat, headquartered in Paris with pilot plants in Bouguenais, France, and Salt Lake City, Utah, will leverage its expertise to process composite panels from aircraft structural parts, particularly wing and ventral beam elements used in long-haul aircraft like the A350. “By combining our technology with the standards of a major aeronautical manufacturer, we want to transform end-of-life aircraft structures, such as the A350’s wing panels, into high-performance materials capable of being reintegrated into aeronautical applications,” explained Benjamin Saada, founder and CEO of Fairmat.
Patented Cold Plasma Process
A key challenge lies in obtaining high-quality recycled material and assessing its potential for reuse in demanding industrial applications where performance, reliability, and traceability are critical. Most carbon fiber composites are currently made using thermosetting resins, which harden irreversibly, making disassembly without destroying the fibers nearly impossible. Current recycling processes typically involve incineration – which produces significant emissions – or fiber grinding, resulting in lower performance materials.
Fairmat’s technology offers a different approach, enabling the repurposing of carbon composites without reverting to virgin fiber. The resulting material delivers comparable mechanical performance, competitive costs, and a significantly reduced carbon footprint. This represents achieved through Infinity Recycling, Fairmat’s patented cold plasma process, which recovers intact carbon fiber in a closed-loop industrial economy.
Sports and Leisure Market Drives Revenue
In April 2025, Fairmat secured €51.5 million in funding, followed by an additional €10 million equity extension in October 2025 from the European fund Infinity Recycling. Last year, the company, which has been forging strategic projects with major industrial players including a recently established partnership with Belgian chemical company Syensqo, generated 80% of its revenue from sales of its material to the sports and leisure market.
Fairmat is also involved in an R&D partnership with Tarmac Aerosave, a subsidiary of Airbus, Safran and Suez, to recover carbon composite parts contained in aircraft parts and plans to increase production at its Atlantic France factory from 500 to 2,500 tonnes within three years, according to the company.
