Stricter mileage and emissions regulations are driving the trend for lighter vehicles that consume less gasoline. These regulations will continue to become more demanding and increasingly stricter over the next few decades. They will continue to simulate newer developments in polymers and polymer composites because their lightweight in turn improves vehicle fuel efficiency. Compared to traditional reinforcements such as glass fiber, natural fibers offer several environmental benefits. They are renewable, biodegradable and require less energy to produce. A Polypropylene composite that contains 20% wheat straw, and is about 10% lighter than plastic reinforced with talc or slightly more with glass has been developed by A. Schulman. Ford Motors will make storage bins in its 2010 Flex crossover vehicle from the new composite AgriPlas. Ford is considering the composite for other automobile parts, such as centre console bins and trays; components for door-trim panels; and arm rest liners. Since the wheat straw is displacing PP, Ford expects to reduce petroleum usage by 20,000 lb pa (9 tpa) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 30,000 lb pa. Schulman is developing other uses for AgriPlas. Since the composite has good colour and aesthetic qualities, it opens up possible applications for consumer goods and office products. Royal DSM NV has introduced two bio-based performance materials for the automotive industry - Palapreg ECO P55-01, a bio-based resin for automotive vehicle body parts, including exterior panels, and EcoPaXX, a bio-based, high performance engineering plastic. Palapreg ECO is composed of 55% renewable resources, making it the composite resin material with the highest bio-based content available in the market today. Industry testing has proven that DSM has been able to achieve this high renewable content without making any sacrifice to product performance or production speeds. EcoPaXX is a high-performance polyamide that combines the benefits of a high melting point (approx. 250° C), low moisture absorption and excellent resistance to various chemical substances. Approximately 70% of the material is based on building blocks derived from castor oil, a renewable resource. DuPont Engineering Polymers has introduced a family of high-performance thermoplastic resins and elastomer products made with renewable resources - Sorona® polymer and Hytrel®. The key ingredient in Sorona® is Bio-PDOTM which is derived from corn sugar using a patented and proprietary fermentation process. Bio-PDOTM is a replacement for petrochemical based, 1,3-propanediol (PDO) and/or 1,4-butanediol (BDO). Hytrel® made with renewable resources will be produced using a new DuPont polyol made with Bio-PDOTM. In addition to replacing petrochemicals with renewable resources, the manufacturing of Bio- PDOTM requires approximately 40% less energy to produce than its petrochemical-based counter-part. Sorona® exhibits performance and processing characteristic similar to PBT (polybutylene terephthalate). In addition to good strength and stiffness, the polymer has improved surface appearance and gloss, and good dimensional stability making it very attractive in a range of uses for automotive parts and components, electrical and electronic systems and industrial and consumer products. Applications for Hytrel® made with renewable resources are extensive and include extruded hose and tubing for automotive and other industrial uses, blow molded boots for automotive constant-velocity joints, and injection-molded parts such as air bag doors and energy dampers. SABIC Innovative Plastics is helping customers create new sustainable solutions by offering two products in a new line of LNP* Thermocomp specialty compounds that use curau fiber and wood flour natural reinforcements. These composites offer the combination of eco-progressiveness and outstanding high-performance properties. LNP Thermocomp PX07444 is a specialty compound, a polyamide (PA)-6 nylon, reinforced with up to 20% curau fiber. The curau plant is a member of the bromeliad family and is cultivated in South America. The fibers extracted from its leaves have high mechanical strength. It can be substituted for the glass-filled nylon in specific applications such as automotive interior components. It provides a strength-to-weight advantage with good surface aesthetics. Also, natural fibers such as curau are not as abrasive as glass or mineral reinforcement, thus reducing wear and tear on molding equipment. LNP Thermocomp MX07442 specialty compound, is polypropylene (PP) reinforced with 30% wood flour. It is aimed at replacing wood because, in addition to having a similar appearance, it is more resistant to fungi and has better dimensional stability than natural wood. Compared to unfilled PP or 30% mineral-reinforced PP, this lower specific gravity compound has higher flexural strength with retained impact strength, thus providing a strength-to-weight advantage. It can be extruded and injection molded, and provides a colorable surface with the natural grain of wood.