Germany: Supplier claims potential for natural fibres in dashboard mouldings

The German automotive interiors components supplier Dräxlmaier has expressed interest in expanding the use of bio-plastics beyond their current automotive applications, mainly in inconspicuous door and roof linings.

The firm has demonstrated that a mixture of flax and hemp fibres can be used for dashboard mouldings, and offers a safety advantage over polyurethane since it does not splinter during the deployment of airbags. Dräxlmaier also notes that burning the flax/hemp based material in EOLV disposal would emit hardly any more CO₂ than is absorbed by the growth of the plants it is derived from.