Industrial applications of natural fibres advanced composites: environmental effects and comparative Life Cycle Analysis

Natural fibres composite materials can have an important role for the planet sustainability. The use of such materials involves the following considerations: complete biodegradability; no toxic agents; no fabrication energy consumption (very low emissions). The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the Life Cost Analysis (LCA) of natural fibres composites for industrial applications, for making a comparison with those relative to steel, aluminium and glass fibres production. The comparison shows all the important advantages that we can obtain by the (partial) substitution of such materials with the new natural fibres composites, depending on the applications.