Could short bamboo fibres offer a more sustainable alternative to conventional glass-fibre reinforcement in automotive components?

SCMM researchers are developing a composite that combines short bamboo fibres with a polypropylene matrix and can be processed using extrusion and injection moulding — manufacturing methods already widely used for complex, high-volume automotive parts. 

Bamboo offers an attractive renewable reinforcement, but using natural fibres in demanding industrial applications requires overcoming challenges including fibre-matrix adhesion, moisture sensitivity and durability.

The team has therefore worked not only on the material itself, but on the complete processing route: from fibre surface treatment and pellet production to extrusion, injection moulding and component-scale demonstrators. The resulting developments have delivered around a 50% improvement in composite strength, while a new pellet design helps preserve fibre length during processing. More than 100 kg of material has already been produced for testing and demonstrator manufacturing.

The impact lies in making renewable fibres compatible with industrial manufacturing at meaningful scale. The next step is their integration into automotive demonstrators developed to meet Toyota requirements, bringing natural-fibre composites closer to real vehicle applications.