Sappi Symbio bio-composite solution chosen to help reduce the environmental impact of motor vehicles
Sappi is proud to announce that its Symbio bio-composite cellulose fibre which is derived from responsibly managed, renewable forests has been chosen as feedstock for the development of lightweight bio-composite materials, for the Life Biobcompo project. The project aims to reduce vehicle CO2 emissions by 8% through the replacement of conventional mineral fillers with bio-based fibres, promote the use of more sustainable resources and demonstrate these technologies at industrial scale. The project partners are the SAPA Group, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Italy, Centro Ricerche Fiat and the Sòphia High Tech Group. The bio-composite materials are required to have good thermo-mechanical properties, a high aesthetic value and good dimensional stability. The experience acquired by SAPA on the development of low-density bio-composites for automotive applications, in a previous R&D project, and the cooperation with Sappi have been fundamental for the achievement of the above requirements.