AT&S's Copper Recycling Project "AERIS" Wins Top Recognition at Airbus Avionics Supplier Day

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AT&S’s long-standing customer, Airbus Avionics, chose AT&S’s copper recycling project “AERIS” as the best improvement project at the 1st Airbus Avionics Supplier Day in Toulouse. AT&S process engineer, Florian Trinkl, was on stage to receive the prize stating: “This award from an important partner shows that our commitment to sustainability is valued. It was nice to receive this recognition in the name of the entire AERIS team.”

With the implementation of an innovative and homegrown wastewater treatment process, AT&S demonstrates a new solution for sustainable resource management and recycling practices in the electronics industry: AERIS is a copper recycling system developed by AT&S to recover pure copper and chemicals from waste. The benefits are obvious: smaller demand for chemicals and copper, less waste, less CO2 emission, and more efficient reuse of resources.

The AERIS project was launched back in 2019 and was recently installed at AT&S’s headquarters in Leoben Hinterberg, Austria. Its infrastructure will soon enable the recovery of up to 1000 kg of pure copper per day, as well as the reuse of a significant amount of chemicals extracted from wastewater.

This comprehensive circular production makes it possible for AT&S to drastically reduce the acquisition of copper, hydrochloric acid, and chemicals for wastewater treatment, whilst limiting and preventing the build-up of several tons of industrial sludge per year. AERIS reduces AT&S’s carbon footprint by 29% compared to a standard primary use of copper by minimizing the need for the expensive production and transport of valuable resources.

Through this unique and sustainable innovation, AT&S was able to register eight new patents in relation to AERIS, six of which have already been granted.

“The implementation of AERIS is an important milestone for our sustainability strategy. We demonstrate that we are not only a technology leader in electronics but also in sustainable manufacturing. Our innovative products help to shape the future of energy, traffic, and communication systems”, says AT&S CTO Peter Griehsnig.

Once the fine-tuning of the AERIS system in Hinterberg is completed, AT&S will start evaluating the rollout of similar systems for its other production plants around the world. AERIS is an important part of a broader sustainability strategy, through which AT&S has committed itself to several concrete goals that will reduce the company’s carbon footprint and deliver a path to sustainable growth.

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