European wood plastic composites production volume reached 260,000 t in 2012, with an additional 90,000 t of natural fibre composites turned out that year, a new study by nova-Institut (Hürth / Germany; www.nova-institut.eu) has found. Bio-based composites now make up between 10-15% of the total European composites market, and have achieved different rates of market penetration in different regions and application fields, the research – titled “Wood-Plastic Composites (WPC) and Natural-Fibre Composites (NFC): European and Global Markets 2012 and Future Trends in Automotive and Construction” – says. The study is an update of the 2014 edition and includes a number of new developments on WPC/NFC as well as novel applications, market forecasts, charts and tables.

Although the US remains the largest global WPC producer, having turned out 1.1m t in 2012, the highest growth is taking place in China, where output reached 900,000 t in 2012. The total global market came to 2.5m t that year, the study found. Within Europe, Germany leads both in terms of actors as well as output, while the main end markets are construction and automotive interior.

The construction sector, dominated by extrusion, accounted for 190,000 t of WPC produced in 2012, nova-Institut found, but is predicted to reach 400,000 t by 2020. If incentives for bio-based products are implemented, this particular market segment could reach even 450,000 t, the study found. The most impressive growth in the lead-up to 2020, however, will be seen by WPC used for technical applications, furniture and consumer goods – where it is mostly injection moulded. Here, the market is expected to grow from 10,000 t in 2012 to a staggering 100,000 t by the turn of the decade. If incentives come into play, that figure could even double to 200,000 t. Growth rates for automotive, compression moulding, extrusion and thermoforming are expected to be rather moderate, rising to 80,000 t by 2020 from 60,000 t in 2012, although here, too, incentives could result in the former figure rising to 300,000 t.

The European WPC market can be described as mature, the study finds, with the typical production process consisting of extrusion, mostly of a decking profile based on a PVC or PE matrix. In fact, now that the construction market is starting to recover, nova-Institut predicts that in German-speaking Europe especially, WPC’s share in decking will continue to grow. Additional drivers include new variations in WPC decking models, such as capped embossed full profiles. Another trend in decking is towards more filled boards, which already account for 47% of the European market, and are increasingly imported from the US. On the whole, following a small decline associated with the housing crisis, the share of WPC used in decking is rising again, nova-Institut said, adding that the increase is also the result of a shakeup among global producers, brought about by quality problems.

Aside from decking, WPC is also increasingly used in garden fencing in Europe, and as a raw material for furniture, technical parts, consumer goods and household electronics. The latter applications mostly use injection moulding as a processing technique, although the study adds that new extrusion methods are currently being developed for broad WPC boards, too.

While WPC construction materials are generally extruded, applications for the automotive interior tend to be compression moulded, thermoformed or alternatively sheet extruded. Siding and fencing applications are mostly extruded, whereas WPC used in consumer goods and furniture tends to be injection moulded. As plastics prices continue to rise, using WPC for injection moulding is becoming increasingly attractive, nova-Institut finds, adding that as a result, the material is also starting to penetrate the portfolios of European producers.

As for natural fibre composites, the study found that they are mostly used in automotive interior parts, with other sectors still at a very early stage. A total of 90,000 t of NFC was produced for automotive and compression moulding applications in 2012, a figure that the study expects to rise to 120,000 t by 2020. Given incentives, output could even reach 350,000 t nova-Institut said. By contrast, only 2,000 t of NFC was injection moulded in 2012. That figure could reach 10,000 t in 2020 and with strong incentives for bio-based products could even grow to more than 20,000 t by the turn of the decade. Whereas WPC is mostly used in automotive rear shelves and trims for trunks, spare wheels and interior doors, NFC is primarily used for high-value doors and dashboards.

Although wood still accounts for most of the natural fibre used in composites employed in the European automotive industry in 2012, use of kenaf and hemp has seen the strongest growth rates since 2005, the study finds. In terms of processing, compression moulding of both wood and natural fibre composites is a tried and tested method used in the production of lightweight and high-class interior automotive parts. The advantages of this processing technique include lightweight construction, crash behaviour, deformation resistance, lamination ability and possible price, while disadvantages are limited shape and design forming, scraps as well as negative costs if many parts are incorporated.

Thanks to their weight-reduction capacity, NFCs are becoming increasingly popular in new car models, nova-Institut says. To illustrate rising usage of NFCs, the study points out that about 4 kg of each of the 15.7m passenger cars produced in Europe in 2011 consisted of natural and wood fibres – with the weight share of the two about equal. Technically, however, it is already possible to incorporate much higher volumes of up to 20 kg in each vehicle. In 2011, about 30,000 t of natural fibres and the same amount of wood fibres went into European automotive production. That figure, nova-Institut says, could easily reach 150,000 t for each type – showing how much potential remains yet.

The study was based on a survey conducted among the WPC and NFC industry in 2013, comprising both producers and customers, and was enriched by interviews held during last year’s “Fakuma” trade fair. All in all, the research covers 65 European WPC extruding companies spread across 21 countries.

The full report can be ordered at www.bio-based.eu/markets. Participants in the upcoming “WPC Conference” (www.wpc-conference.com), held in Cologne / Germany in December (see Plasteurope.com of 23.04.2015), will receive a 30% discount.

e-Service:
Short version of the 2015 update of “Wood-Plastic Composites (WPC) and Natural-Fibre Composites (NFC): European and Global Markets 2012 and Future Trends in Automotive and Construction” (10/2014) as a PDF file