Life Cycle Assessment on a Bus Body Component Based on Hemp Fiber and PTP (R)

The application of renewable raw materials in the automotive sector became more and more interesting in the last years. For the first time, a material system based on natural fibers and PTP (R), a vegetable based thermoset resin, was produced and manufactured into a bus body component by Sheet-Moulding-Compound-technology. The Life Cycle Assessment on this component based on renewable raw materials shows advantages especially in the categories fossil resources and global warming. It can be expected that further concepts of development and optimization lead to a more efficient use of materials and so to an additional reduction of environmental impacts.