The market
In 2010, the global natural fiber composite (NFC) market exceeded an estimated market value of just over two billion dollars, with an annual growth rate of 15% over the previous five years. The market is expected to nearly double by 2016, reaching $3.8 billion, with a compound annual growth rate of 10% for the next five years—a decade of double-digit growth. Europe is the strongest market, accounting for over 50% of total sales, with consistent demand from the automotive industry, which is switching door panels, seat backs, dashboards, and even bumpers from synthetic to natural materials. Bumpers and protective trim for railcars made from NCF already represent a $162 million industry, accounting for nearly 150 million kg of natural materials. The electronics industry is also turning to NCF for phone and computer casings. While Henry Ford built a prototype car made of hemp composite, it was the East German Trabant that produced the first assembly line for a cotton and polyester body. Companies like Audi, BMW, and Volvo have turned to NCFs (non-carbon fiber composites), a move recently followed by General Motors, which has propelled the US to become the second-largest consumer of NCFs in the automotive industry, well ahead of Japan. In 2006, NEC became the first electronics company in the world to use kenaf and polylactic acid for its mobile phone casing. Johan Museeuw, the Belgian cycling champion turned racing bike manufacturer, developed the first racing bike frame using flax epoxy resin—a low-cost, vibration-damping frame—drawing on centuries of flax cultivation in his native country. The construction industry, the second-largest market for composite applications, is focusing on wood-plastic composites. Demand for carbon fiber and fiberglass is suffering from this new competition due to the low cost and weight of natural fiber composites (NFCs) derived from flax, hemp, kenaf, and the abundance of sisal, which was the primary raw material for rope. Flax fibers offer the highest reinforcement and tensile strength. In the automotive industry, the NCF index is nearly eight times that of steel and 14 times that of aluminum, based on the price/performance ratio, which compares specific strength to the monetary value of the function provided. Rising petroleum product prices, strong government support for green products, and high end-user acceptance are driving natural fiber composites to record levels in the foreseeable future.
Innovation
Key drivers of innovation in natural fiber-reinforced composites (NFCs) include cost reduction, ease of maintenance, low moisture absorption, corrosion resistance, and greater uniformity compared to wood. The construction industry has long been criticized for its excessive use of hardwoods like teak, which has led to massive deforestation. Now that rice husks and bagasse are competing for window frames, fences, decking, and wall panels, a growing number of manufacturers are replacing scarce and regulated tropical hardwoods with NFCs. Flax, kenaf, and hemp are replacing synthetic materials and metals, demonstrating their thermal recycling and insulation properties. With the exception of rice husks, which are considered waste, all other natural fibers compete with food for agricultural land, a major challenge in the pursuit of a sustainable society capable of meeting basic needs, starting with water and food. Carla Wobma and her partner Bob Crebas from the Netherlands, supported by the creative research of Jeroen Bos, have rediscovered stinging nettle for its fibers, a plant with a long medicinal history. It has been documented that, as early as 900 AD, people were using wild nettles as a textile. It was a luxury reserved for kings. Nettle is one of the Nine Charming Herbs recorded by Anglo-Saxon pagans in the 10th century. This perennial was already being used in medieval Europe to rid the body of excess water and to treat joint pain. Nettle offers more than just potential medicinal benefits; it is as nutritious as spinach and cucumbers, rich in vitamins A and C, with a daily requirement of potassium and calcium. As a beverage, it provides a source of citric acid and has a long natural shelf life. There's even nettle beer, a popular drink in the UK. Nettles have traditionally been used with flax as a raw material for textiles and require no pesticides since most nettles grow wild. They are even used as a dye, producing yellow from the roots and yellow-green from the leaves. Bhutan is the only country where wild harvesting and fiber production for clothing is widespread, particularly for men's jackets known as Goh. Bob and Jeroen studied production research in the UK, Czech Republic, Germany, and the Netherlands, showing that each hectare yields six tons of nettles, which produce 600 to 780 kg of nettle fiber. Nettle fiber still commands a market price four to five times higher than cotton. This offers a competitive income that compares favorably to €2,000/ha for corn and €1,000/ha for sunflowers. While most natural resources require annual planting, nettles are perennial plants that do not require water. This allows for a dramatic shift in energy, labor, and capital inputs compared to cotton. Jeroen Bos and the Crebas family unlocked nettle fibers through experimentation with heated vacuum cylinders to extract the fibers. They piloted a test plant that combines decomposition, fermentation, and water purification, all powered by rainwater, generating 50 to 55 cubic meters of biogas containing up to 75% methane for every ton of nettles processed. Jeroen focused on optimizing the process, including using self-generated gas to dry the fibers. The use of fermentation principles described in other cases (see case 51) suggests that manufacturing raw fibers from nettles could produce all the necessary energy from its own operations, potentially achieving a zero-emission target, provided different waste streams are combined. The Netl team then soaks the raw fibers in glycerin, a natural byproduct of soap making, enabling the production of individual fibers. An agricultural and manufacturing process that utilizes its own resources, has the potential to produce its own energy, and recycles water by continuously extracting more nutrients and material, while maintaining simplicity and achieving high-quality output at a competitive cost, provides insight into how to apply the principles of the Blue Economy. This is why nettle fibers could aptly be called "a blue fiber.".
The first cash flow
In 2006, Bob Crebas founded Netl, and Carla refined the spinning process with Italian, British, and French experts. The nettle yarn is then knitted into fabric in Lithuania and the Netherlands, based on her innovative designs for women. The couple subsequently established a 48-hectare nettle farm and implemented an integrated production system from farming to finished products, with the first clothing line launched on the international market in early 2012. Initially, there could be four farming sites in Europe, bringing together expert companies and generating demand to replace water-intensive, pesticide-laden cotton fibers, which have even fallen out of favor with the Chinese (see case 77). The potential is strong, and the business model is competitive. Even if the production cost doesn't match today's cotton prices, the value generated for both the customer and the environment provides the multiple benefits and revenue streams urgently needed to steer the garment industry toward competitive sustainability. However, they quickly realized that designing the cathode is only half the solution for a completely new battery concept. They also need to redesign the anode. A team of doctoral students is working on how to achieve a complete concept. The vision is to have a fully renewable battery. In the meantime, they are testing a fully recyclable polymer known as polypyrrole, a 100% recyclable petroleum derivative that has been known to the industry for over three decades.
The opportunity
While Netl develops the park and the clothing, other entrepreneurs like Paul van Zoggel, also Dutch, join the effort. The portfolio of innovative products includes the design of a series of new fibers spun from nettle, alginate-based yarns, and silk—the triumvirate of fibers for the Blue Economy. The treatment water is rich in organic matter and, although it doesn't look like soup, it contains vitamins, iron, and potassium, making it at least an ideal soil amendment, and could be treated to extract a natural blend of nutrients. However, by studying the properties of nettle fibers and learning from the success of flax, the first NCF product is ready for testing: a bread box and a drinking cup. The Dutch Aerospace Laboratory has recognized the specific stiffness of nettle compared to fiberglass, while its tensile strength is higher than that of any other natural fiber, and is considering it as a future option. The shift from cotton to nettle in textiles is a remarkable improvement in every respect. It complements linen, kenaf, and hemp with a wild plant that can be cultivated on degraded and even contaminated land (however, the treated water should not be consumed). This creates jobs and offers a welcome addition to a market facing a sharp increase in demand for fibers from both industry and consumers. Nettle represents a return to traditions that existed a millennium ago. The vision could well be to combine nettles, which cleanse polluted soil, with algae, which purify air of CO2 and water laden with organic matter, while simultaneously ensuring that we use agricultural land wisely and have clean air and water to drink. Entrepreneurs in Germany are joining this movement, taking the risk, and, thanks to the innovative pre-order business model, these innovators are paving the way to capitalize on market momentum.
