Natural fibres show outstandingly low CO2 footprint compared to glass and mineral fibres
The carbon footprint of natural fibres such as flax, hemp, jute or kenaf is much lower than their counterparts glass and mineral fibres. The production of 1 tonne of glass fibres shows a carbon footprint of about 1.7–2.5 tonnes CO2-eq per tonne of fibre, whereas natural fibres only have a carbon footprint of about 0.35–0.55 tonnes CO2-eq per tonne of fibre (until the factory gate, excluding transport to the customer, using mass allocation). This is an 80% lower carbon footprint than that of glass fibres.
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The 57-page study “Carbon Footprint and Sustainability of Different Natural Fibres for Biocomposites and Insulation Material – Study providing data for the automotive and insulation industry” was conducted in 2018 and published in March 2019 by nova-Institute, Germany.
