The Global Market for Natural Fiber Plastics 2024-2034

August 2023 | 191 pages | ID: G2073AF9E057EN
Future Markets, Inc.

Abstracts

Natural fibers can be blended with plastics like polypropylene, polyethylene, PVC, polylactic acid etc. to make fiber-reinforced plastics composites. Main techniques employed include injection moulding and extrusion, with new processes also being developed. Benefits of natural fiber reinforcement include reduced weight, lower cost, renewable sourcing, and lower carbon footprint compared to traditional glass or carbon fiber reinforcement.

Main market applications include automotive interior parts, packaging, construction and consumer goods. Leading manufacturers are focused on optimizing processing techniques, improving fiber-matrix bonding, and developing durable natural fiber plastic compounds suitable for structural applications. The natural fiber plastics market is projected to grow steadily driven by sustainability trends and advancements in processing and material quality.

Report contents include:

• Market drivers and challenges.
• Market analysis of the following natural fiber types in plastic composites, including benefits, drawbacks, loadings in plastic composites and applications:
• Luffa.
• Jute.
• Hemp.
• Flax.
• Ramie.
• Kenaf.
• Sisal.
• Abaca.
• Coir.
• Banana.
• Pineapple.
• Rice fibers.
• Corn fibers.
• Switchgrass.
• Sugarcane (agricultural residues).
• Bamboo.
• Fresh grass.
• Mycelium.
• Chitosan.
• Alginate.
• Silk fiber.
• Cellulose fibers from wood.
• Microfibrillated cellulose.
• Cellulose nanofibers.
• Cellulose nanocrystals.
• Analysis of manufacturing processes.
• Analysis of end use markets for natural fiber plastic composites covering market revenues, applications and SWOT analysis. Markets covered include:
• Automotive.
• Packaging.
• Construction & buildings.
• Appliances.
• Consumer electronics.
• Furniture.
• Future market outlook and competitive landscape.
• Global revenues for natural fiber composites , segmented by end use market, material type, plastic type and region.
• Profiles of 67 natural fiber plastic producers. Companies profiled include AdvancedBMT, Bcomp, Borregaard ChemCell, GS Alliance, Nippon, Sappi, Sulapac and Tecnaro.

Contents

1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1.1 What are natural fiber plastics?
1.2 Benefits of natural fibers over synthetic
1.3 Markets and applications for natural fibers
1.4 Commercially available natural fiber products
1.5 Market drivers for natural fibers
1.6 Market challenges

2 NATURAL FIBER PLASTICS OVERVIEW

2.1 The global polymer plastics market
2.2 The global biocomposite plastics market
2.3 Wood flour as a plastic filler
2.4 Types of natural fibers in plastic composites
  2.4.1 Plants
    2.4.1.1 Seed fibers
      2.4.1.1.1 Kapok
      2.4.1.1.2 Luffa
    2.4.1.2 Bast fibers
      2.4.1.2.1 Jute
      2.4.1.2.2 Hemp
      2.4.1.2.3 Flax
      2.4.1.2.4 Ramie
      2.4.1.2.5 Kenaf
    2.4.1.3 Leaf fibers
      2.4.1.3.1 Sisal
      2.4.1.3.2 Abaca
    2.4.1.4 Fruit fibers
      2.4.1.4.1 Coir
      2.4.1.4.2 Banana
      2.4.1.4.3 Pineapple
    2.4.1.5 Stalk fibers from agricultural residues
      2.4.1.5.1 Rice fiber
      2.4.1.5.2 Corn
    2.4.1.6 Cane, grasses and reed
      2.4.1.6.1 Switchgrass
      2.4.1.6.2 Sugarcane (agricultural residues)
      2.4.1.6.3 Bamboo
      2.4.1.6.4 Fresh grass (green biorefinery)
    2.4.1.7 Modified natural polymers
      2.4.1.7.1 Mycelium
      2.4.1.7.2 Chitosan
      2.4.1.7.3 Alginate
  2.4.2 Animal (fibrous protein)
    2.4.2.1 Silk fiber
  2.4.3 Wood-based natural fibers
    2.4.3.1 Cellulose fibers
      2.4.3.1.1 Market overview
      2.4.3.1.2 Producers
    2.4.3.2 Microfibrillated cellulose (MFC)
      2.4.3.2.1 Market overview
      2.4.3.2.2 Producers
    2.4.3.3 Cellulose nanocrystals
      2.4.3.3.1 Market overview
      2.4.3.3.2 Producers
    2.4.3.4 Cellulose nanofibers
      2.4.3.4.1 Market overview
      2.4.3.4.2 Producers
2.5 Processing and Treatment of Natural Fibers
2.6 Interface and Compatibility of Natural Fibers with Plastic Matrices
  2.6.1 Adhesion and Bonding
  2.6.2 Moisture Absorption and Dimensional Stability
  2.6.3 Thermal Expansion and Compatibility
  2.6.4 Dispersion and Distribution
  2.6.5 Matrix Selection
  2.6.6 Fiber Content and Alignment
  2.6.7 Manufacturing Techniques

3 MANUFACTURING PROCESSES

3.1 Injection molding
3.2 Compression moulding
3.3 Extrusion
3.4 Thermoforming
3.5 Thermoplastic pultrusion
3.6 Additive manufacturing (3D printing)

4 THE GLOBAL MARKET FOR NATURAL FIBERS IN PLASTICS

4.1 Markets and applications
4.2 Markets
  4.2.1 Automotive
    4.2.1.1 Applications
    4.2.1.2 Commercial production
    4.2.1.3 SWOT analysis
  4.2.2 Packaging
    4.2.2.1 Applications
    4.2.2.2 SWOT analysis
  4.2.3 Construction
    4.2.3.1 Applications
    4.2.3.2 SWOT analysis
  4.2.4 Appliances
    4.2.4.1 Applications
    4.2.4.2 SWOT analysis
  4.2.5 Consumer electronics
    4.2.5.1 Applications
    4.2.5.2 SWOT analysis
  4.2.6 Furniture
    4.2.6.1 Applications
    4.2.6.2 SWOT analysis
4.3 Competitive landscape
4.4 Future outlook
4.5 Global market for natural fiber based plastics
  4.5.1 By end use market
  4.5.2 By Material Type
  4.5.3 By Plastic Type
  4.5.4 By region

5 PRODUCERS AND PRODUCT DEVELOPERS 108 (67 COMPANY PROFILES)


6 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY


7 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY


8 REFERENCES

List Of Tables

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Types of natural fibers.
Table 2. Markets and applications for natural fibers.
Table 3. Commercially available natural fiber products.
Table 4. Market drivers for natural fibers.
Table 5. Typical properties of natural fibers.
Table 6. Overview of kapok fibers-description, properties, drawbacks and applications.
Table 7. Overview of luffa fibers-description, properties, drawbacks and applications.
Table 8. Overview of jute fibers-description, properties, drawbacks and applications.
Table 9. Overview of hemp fibers-description, properties, drawbacks and applications.
Table 10. Overview of flax fibers-description, properties, drawbacks and applications.
Table 11. Overview of ramie fibers-description, properties, drawbacks and applications.
Table 12. Overview of kenaf fibers-description, properties, drawbacks and applications.
Table 13. Overview of sisal fibers-description, properties, drawbacks and applications.
Table 14. Overview of abaca fibers-description, properties, drawbacks and applications.
Table 15. Overview of coir fibers-description, properties, drawbacks and applications.
Table 16. Overview of banana fibers-description, properties, drawbacks and applications.
Table 17. Overview of pineapple fibers-description, properties, drawbacks and applications.
Table 18. Overview of rice fibers-description, properties, drawbacks and applications.
Table 19. Overview of corn fibers-description, properties, drawbacks and applications.
Table 20. Overview of switch grass fibers-description, properties and applications.
Table 21. Overview of sugarcane fibers-description, properties, drawbacks and application and market size.
Table 22. Overview of bamboo fibers-description, properties, drawbacks and applications.
Table 23. Overview of mycelium fibers-description, properties, drawbacks and applications.
Table 24. Overview of chitosan fibers-description, properties, drawbacks and applications.
Table 25. Overview of alginate-description, properties, application and market size.
Table 26. Overview of silk fibers-description, properties, application and market size.
Table 27. Next-gen silk producers.
Table 28. Companies developing cellulose fibers for application in plastic composites.
Table 29. Microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) market analysis.
Table 30. Leading MFC producers and capacities.
Table 31. Cellulose nanocrystals market overview.
Table 32. Cellulose nanocrystal production capacities and production process, by producer.
Table 33. Cellulose nanofibers market analysis.
Table 34. CNF production capacities and production process, by producer, in metric tons.
Table 35. Processing and treatment methods for natural fibers used in plastic composites.
Table 36. Application, manufacturing method, and matrix materials of natural fibers.
Table 37. Properties of natural fiber-bio-based polymer compounds.
Table 38. Typical properties of short natural fiber-thermoplastic composites.
Table 39. Properties of non-woven natural fiber mat composites.
Table 40. Applications of natural fibers in plastics.
Table 41. Applications of natural fibers in the automotive industry.
Table 42. Natural fiber-reinforced polymer composite in the automotive market.
Table 43. Applications of natural fibers in packaging.
Table 44. Applications of natural fibers in construction.
Table 45. Applications of natural fibers in the appliances market.
Table 46. Applications of natural fibers in the consumer electronics market.
Table 47. Global market for natural fiber based plastics, 2018-2034, by end use sector (Billion USD).
Table 48. Global market for natural fiber based plastics, 2018-2034, by material type (Billion USD).
Table 49. Global market for natural fiber based plastics, 2018-2034, by plastic type (Billion USD).
Table 50. Global market for natural fiber based plastics, 2018-2034, by region (Billion USD).
Table 51. Granbio Nanocellulose Processes.
Table 52. Oji Holdings CNF products.

List Of Figures

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Absolut natural based fiber bottle cap.
Figure 2. Adidas algae-ink tees.
Figure 3. Carlsberg natural fiber beer bottle.
Figure 4. Miratex watch bands.
Figure 5. Adidas Made with Nature Ultraboost 22.
Figure 6. PUMA RE:SUEDE sneaker
Figure 7. Types of natural fibers.
Figure 8. Luffa cylindrica fiber.
Figure 9. Pineapple fiber.
Figure 10. Typical structure of mycelium-based foam.
Figure 11. Commercial mycelium composite construction materials.
Figure 12. SEM image of microfibrillated cellulose.
Figure 13. Hemp fibers combined with PP in car door panel.
Figure 14. Car door produced from Hemp fiber.
Figure 15. Natural fiber composites in the BMW M4 GT4 racing car.
Figure 16. Mercedes-Benz components containing natural fibers.
Figure 17. SWOT analysis: natural fibers in the automotive market.
Figure 18. SWOT analysis: natural fibers in the packaging market.
Figure 19. SWOT analysis: natural fibers in the appliances market.
Figure 20. SWOT analysis: natural fibers in the appliances market.
Figure 21. SWOT analysis: natural fibers in the consumer electronics market.
Figure 22. SWOT analysis: natural fibers in the furniture market.
Figure 23. Global market for natural fiber based plastics, 2018-2034, by market (Billion USD).
Figure 24. Global market for natural fiber based plastics, 2018-2034, by material type (Billion USD).
Figure 25. Global market for natural fiber based plastics, 2018-2034, by plastic type (Billion USD).
Figure 26. Global market for natural fiber based plastics, 2018-2034, by region (Billion USD).
Figure 27. Asahi Kasei CNF fabric sheet.
Figure 28. Properties of Asahi Kasei cellulose nanofiber nonwoven fabric.
Figure 29. CNF nonwoven fabric.
Figure 30. Roof frame made of natural fiber.
Figure 31.Tras Rei chair incorporating ampliTex fibers.
Figure 32. Natural fibres racing seat.
Figure 33. Porche Cayman GT4 Clubsport incorporating BComp flax fibers.
Figure 34. Fiber-based screw cap.
Figure 35. Cellugy materials.
Figure 36. CuanSave film.
Figure 37. Trunk lid incorporating CNF.
Figure 38. ELLEX products.
Figure 39. CNF-reinforced PP compounds.
Figure 40. Kirekira! toilet wipes.
Figure 41. DKS CNF products.
Figure 42. Cellulose Nanofiber (CNF) composite with polyethylene (PE).
Figure 43. CNF products from Furukawa Electric.
Figure 44. Cutlery samples (spoon, knife, fork) made of nano cellulose and biodegradable plastic composite materials.
Figure 45. CNF gel.
Figure 46. Block nanocellulose material.
Figure 47. CNF products developed by Hokuetsu.
Figure 48. Dual Graft System.
Figure 49. Engine cover utilizing Kao CNF composite resins.
Figure 50. Acrylic resin blended with modified CNF (fluid) and its molded product (transparent film), and image obtained with AFM (CNF 10wt% blended).
Figure 51. Cellulomix production process.
Figure 52. Nanobase versus conventional products.
Figure 53. MOGU-Wave panels.
Figure 54. CNF clear sheets.
Figure 55. Oji Holdings CNF polycarbonate product.
Figure 56. A vacuum cleaner part made of cellulose fiber (left) and the assembled vacuum cleaner.
Figure 57. XCNF.
Figure 58. Manufacturing process for STARCEL.
Figure 59. 2 wt.? CNF suspension.
Figure 60. Sulapac cosmetics containers.
Figure 61. Comparison of weight reduction effect using CNF.
Figure 62. CNF resin products.