Fiberglass and carbon fiber have ruled the world of reinforcements for years. Manufacturers demand high performance, low cost and lightweight fibers for highly engineered resins. Until recently, most reinforcements used for these resins were synthetic.

Natural fibers are reemerging as sustainable alternatives as manufacturers seek to use new materials to produce high-performance products with a low carbon footprint.

Back in the 1930s, industrial hemp became collateral damage in America's war on drugs. Prior to this, Henry Ford had successfully built thousands of cars using hemp fiber as a reinforcement material. Hemp's legal status as one of the few high-performance natural fibers has set the world generations behind in the commercialization of products using bio-based materials.

Other natural fibers, such as cotton for clothing and flax for linen, have been used for centuries. But the use of natural fiber reinforcements in composites has been limited due to lack of a reliable supply chain, product consistency or market development. Natural fibers also need to be engineered in specific ways to enhance their bonding and performance in plastics.

Fortunately, the 2018 Farm Bill made hemp fully legal in the eyes of the U.S. government. This opens the door to the creation of a hemp supply chain that can help create stronger, lighter, cheaper and more sustainable products throughout the manufacturing industry.

Over the past few years, U.S. automotive OEMs and their suppliers have begun investing in the research and development of hemp-filled plastics. European manufacturers, on the other hand, have been using natural fiber reinforcements for decades to reduce the carbon footprint and weight of composites.

Today, natural fibers are best suited for reinforcing glass and carbon fibers to create unique mechanical properties

For example, earlier this year BMW (Germany) participated in Bcomp (Switzerland) in an oversubscribed $35 million Series B round. Bcomp is a manufacturer of high-performance composites made from natural fibers. BMW's collaboration with Bcomp, and its history of using hemp fiber-reinforced composites in its i3 electric vehicle (EV), demonstrates that the major manufacturer is investing in high-performance solutions with a smaller carbon footprint. Other European companies, such as automaker Porsche (Germany), have already applied natural fiber-reinforced composites in their 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport models.

Bcomp specializes in woven natural fiber mats for thermoforming and compression molding in polypropylene automotive applications.

Heartland (USA) is a materials innovation company that uses hemp fibers as reinforcements for polymers. The company focuses on the application of nonwoven materials to reduce the carbon footprint of plastics, rubber and foam. Heartland and Bcomp also provide engineered natural fiber reinforcements to address sustainability issues across the manufacturing sector.

This natural fiber reinforced motorcycle cross brake cover developed by Bcomp and KTM Technologies highlights the ways in which natural fibers can produce sustainable products

Efficiency targets in the automotive industry to reduce raw material costs, weight and carbon footprint are prompting supply chains to re-examine long-term use and reliance on materials. For example, the carbon footprint of 30% glass-filled nylon, a mainstay of car manufacturing, is not particularly attractive. Carbon-negative lightweight fibers like industrial hemp could solve this sustainability problem. The secret is knowing that the right formulation can create performance properties that weren't there before.

Today, natural fibers are best suited for reinforcing glass and carbon fibers to create unique mechanical properties. Blending glass fibers, which have high stiffness properties, with hemp fibers, which have high modulus properties, can create unprecedented performance with less weight and a lower carbon footprint. Hemp can also be used to replace additives such as talc, calcium carbonate, carbon black and other commonly used minerals.

For those new to cellulosic materials, mixing natural fibers into conventional thermoplastics is not straightforward. Without the right additives, bio-based materials and petroleum-based plastics can experience bonding and performance issues. For example, one of the nuances of natural fiber filled nylon is the operating temperature of the material. Typically, the melting point of nylon is close to the degradation point of natural fibers. Knowing how to find this temperature balance can mean the difference between performance nylon and the smell of a campfire in your facility.

Manufacturers looking to reduce their carbon footprint may look for more opportunities to use natural fibers instead of traditional fibers and additives. For many companies, starting with augmentation technology has become an easy way for them to foray into the sustainable materials space (without having to dive headfirst into it).

For most manufacturers, the substantial changes that will emerge in the coming years are based on the sustainability mandates that have been baked into the world's largest organizations. Most of these sustainable development initiatives are driven by the Paris climate agreement, whose members have set out to require countries to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Large corporations across industries have made similar commitments to their partners and governments. With the SEC's recent announcement of climate-related disclosures, public companies will be forced to report their Tier 1, 2, and 3 emissions in their financial reports.

A reporting company's Scope 3 emissions will be quantified through indirect emissions that occur up and down the value chain. This calculation will include the carbon footprint of every pound of raw material purchased by the manufacturer. This means that if a company wants to supply materials or components to public companies, they must be able to provide carbon footprint data to comply with SEC regulations.

As these requirements are phased in over the next few years, raw material suppliers will have to effectively quantify the CO2 required to produce and distribute each pound of material. In the short term, raw material suppliers should position themselves to help customers exceed their sustainability requirements. They can do this by gaining access to a reliable supply chain of biomaterials that can replace mined petroleum-based fibers and additives. In the long run, with the phased implementation of listed companies in fiscal years 2024 and 2025, large raw material suppliers need to prepare carbon footprint data.

While access to reliable supply chains for biomaterials and biochemicals remains problematic for most companies, ESG (environmental, social and governance) investments account for one-third of total assets under management in the U.S., with significant investments in A more effective carbon footprint solution.

Companies that help big manufacturers use materials and technologies with low carbon footprints will win in an ESG-driven world. Likewise, manufacturers and suppliers who lead innovation in sustainable materials will also become solution providers.