A review of natural fibres, their sustainability and automotive applications

In recent years, the amount of research on natural fibres and natural-fibre-based products has increased substantially. The reason for this increase is due to a greater awareness of the environment and the ever depleting trend of petroleum supplies. Natural fibre composites and in general, natural fibres have a big role to play towards a sustainable environmentally friendly future. The automotive industry is taking big steps toward a more eco-friendly product chain by implementing natural fibres as a base for making various components, such as seat backs, door panels, spare tyre and boot linings. The world production of natural fibres is increasing since the product base is increasing. Each year, more synthetic fibres and high energy consuming products are being replaced by natural-fibre-based products. The reason for this trend is not only due to an increased environmental awareness but also because natural fibres have excellent properties, such as light weight, and they have relatively low costs. This study attempts to review the most commercially important natural fibres and their automotive application and also looks at the properties, chemical composition and cost of some natural fibres being used in industry.