Advancing Eco-Aviation: Collins Aerospace receives Environmental Excellence Award from SAE International

• Company’s Green Solutions Working Group honored for efforts to eliminate Materials of Concern from products and processes
  
• Group currently has 13 environmentally friendly solutions under development, including the first chromate-free primer available for use on plated steel parts for commercial airplanes
  

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (April 30, 2020) – Collins Aerospace Systems, a unit of Raytheon Technologies Corp. (NYSE: RTX), today announced that its Green Solutions Working Group (GSWG) has received SAE International’s prestigious Environmental Excellence in Transportation (E2T) Award. The award recognizes an individual or group who, through their ingenuity and dedication, make significant innovations in reducing the transportation industry’s environmental impact.

Formed in 2013, Collins Aerospace’s cross-functional GSWG includes 28 members, from five different countries, and is dedicated to eliminating Materials of Concern from the company’s products and manufacturing processes. The group brings together experts in materials science from across Collins Aerospace, and works closely with the Raytheon Technologies Research Center, as well as customers and suppliers, to share knowledge and best practices. The GSWG currently has 13 environmentally friendly solutions under development, seven of which are ready for use in product development.

One of the new products the group is developing is a chromate-free landing gear corrosion protection primer, incorporating the company’s patented EcoSky® pigment, which it developed in concert with the Raytheon Technologies Research Center. The pigment and primer are more environmentally friendly and compliant with the European Union’s REACh (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) regulations, and the primer is the first chromate-free primer available for use on plated steel parts for commercial airplanes. During two years of rigorous environmental, lab and flight testing, the primer demonstrated performance equal to conventional chromate primers for zinc-nickel and titanium-cadmium plated steel parts.

“As part of our mission to redefine aerospace, Collins is committed to developing solutions that satisfy our customers’ needs for high performance but are also as green as possible,” said Michele Lewis, senior director, Global REACh Program Office, Collins Aerospace. “Ensuring that our products and processes are environmentally friendly is imperative, not only to help our customers meet their regulatory obligations, but also for the sake of our employees, our industry and our planet. Congratulations to the entire Green Solutions Working Group for the game-changing work you are doing.”