Global 5500, 6500 Receive Environmental Declarations

Bombardier has expanded its suite of environmental product declarations (EPDs) to encompass the ultra-long-range Global 5500 and 6500. They join Bombardier’s Global 7500 and Challenger 3500 in securing an EPD—the only other business jets to do so.

EPDs detail information about an aircraft’s environmental footprint throughout its life cycle and are the culmination of more than a decade of development of key metrics that can be standardized through data gathering, validation, and analysis, Bombardier said.

The Canadian aircraft manufacturer initially obtained an EPD for the Global 7500 in June 2020 after working with industry organizations and 45 Tier 1 suppliers to assess 200,000 parts over the development of the aircraft. That evaluation provided “valuable insights” into the environmental impact of the business jet and enabled a third-party public report.

Bombardier followed the same methodology with the Challenger 3500, which received an EPD in 2022, and again with the Global 5500 and 6500, which involved the assessment of a combined 280,000 parts.

“The publication of the Global 5500 and Global 6500 aircraft EPDs are the results of years of scientific effort,” said Michel Ouellette, Bombardier executive vice president of engineering and product development. “These declarations are more than brochures—they are tools for the aviation industry to drive sustainable innovations across its activities spectrum. They are also the outcome of the thoroughness, mindfulness, and ingenuity of a uniquely skilled internal team of experts.”

The EPDs help lay the groundwork for the design of future programs from a sustainability perspective, the company said, pointing to elements such as the Rolls-Royce Pearl engines and redesigned wings that brought 13 percent better fuel efficiency on the Global 5500 and 6500. In addition, Bombardier noted the sustainable cabin materials offered on the aircraft.

“We made the decision more than 10 years ago to tackle the industry’s most urgent challenge in the long run with our EcoJet research platform—in the short run by encouraging the increased use of sustainable aviation fuels and, in the medium run, by adopting a sustainability mindset when designing all our aircraft, before the first piece of sheet metal is cut,” Ouellette, said. “With our business jets' EPDs, we have equipped ourselves with a comprehensive and replicable methodology to ensure environmental risks and impacts across our value chain are identified now and effectively managed through our continuous innovation and improvement approach.”

Bombardier added that its product life cycle analysis is available for industry and public consultation and added that the EPDs “are already influencing decisions at the supply-chain level, by mapping a clear strategy for sustainable sourcing and product development processes.”