SGL Carbon, in collaboration with BMW Group and key industry partners, has been awarded the JEC Innovation Award in the Automotive & Road Transportation – Parts category for its role in the BMW M Natural Fiber Composites project.
The award recognizes the development of production-ready, flax-based composite components, supported by SGL Carbon's proprietary resin and prepreg system engineered to meet the stringent durability, aesthetics, and processability requirements of automotive visible parts.
Key Highlights:
- SGL Carbon developed pre-impregnated materials using flax fiber fabric at its Meitingen and Willich facilities.
- A moisture-tolerant, transparent resin system addresses one of the core limitations of natural fiber composites.
- The solution delivers stable mechanical and thermal performance while maintaining premium surface quality.
- Compared to conventional CFRP, the natural fiber composite system achieves approximately 40% lower CO2 emissions during production, with additional end-of-life benefits.
The project signals a commercially viable pathway for natural fiber composites in high-performance automotive applications, reinforcing their role as a lightweight, lower-carbon alternative to traditional carbon fiber systems.
Dr. Thomas Meinhardt, Team Lead Technical Marketing Prepregs at SGL Carbon: "The high moisture absorption of flax fibers was one of the biggest challenges, alongside the typical extensive requirements for automotive visible components. We developed a special transparent resin system that is particularly resistant to and tolerant of the high moisture content of natural fibers."
Source: SGL Carbon
