THE FUTURE LOOKS GOOD FOR NATURAL FIBRE COMPOSITES

AFTER USING A sustainable, natural-fibre composite in motorsport for a number of years, BMW has announced it will be using the flaxbased material, developed by Swiss firm Bcomp, on future production models.

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In testing, the material has proved suitable for a range of uses, including visible A-surface finishes on the interior and exterior.

Several years of R&D have found that composites made from renewable materials are not only able to create attractive surface finishes, but they can also be used for structural components. An example is the roof panel in next-gen cars, where renewable fibre composites can reduce CO2 equivalent by 40% during production, and it gives end-of-life benefits.

BMW's venture capital arm, I Ventures, holds a stake in Bcomp, which was founded in 2011 to make high-performance skis using flax fibres, and Bcomp became an official BMW Motorsport partner in 2022.