TEXTILES.ORG
Bcomp, global bio-composites company, which is helping to decarbonize the auto sector, has been awarded the 2024 Altair Enlighten Award in the Sustainable Process category, alongside long-time partner BMW M GmbH and other collaborators, for the sustainable BMW M Visionary Materials Seat.
Designed and engineered specifically to meet the demands of large-scale vehicle production, the seatback uses Bcomp’s innovative, high-performance ampliTex™-PP in place of heavier, carbon-intensive plastic or glass fiber. The pre-impregnated technical fabric also enables one-step manufacturing, reduces materials used in production, and is fully recyclable.
The award highlights the sustainable production-orientation of the seat design including its lifecycle focus as one of the automotive sector’s innovative new sustainable developments, the best of which are showcased by Altair’s Enlighten Awards.
The seat design re-envisions the manufacture and component materials to introduce a lighter, circular product that meets the demands of large-scale vehicle production. The new seat’s recyclability has been taken into account from the start of development. Less complex assemblies and monomaterials that can be separated by type enable the recyclability of the seat at the end of its life.
Flax fiber composites are CO2e-neutral from cradle to gate and can reduce manufacturing-related emissions of high-performance composite parts by up to 85 percent, compared to carbon fiber, depending on the application. Compared to current large-scale automotive plastic parts, Bcomp’s material solutions can reduce component weights by up to 50 percent, thanks to their low density and high stiffness.
The annual Enlighten Awards are sponsored by Altair, a global computational science and intelligence firm. They celebrate lightweighting innovations that reduce emissions, materials and energy consumption, while advancing material reuse and recyclability. The awards were presented at a ceremony on August 6.