EU Forest project validates sustainable biocomposites with up to 35% weight reduction
Automotive Composites Market 2025 to 2032: Lightweighting, NEV Demand and the Carbon Fiber InflectionSeverity
Low
Likelihood
High
Spend exposed
–
Confidence
90%
$
- Severity: how big the impact would be if this plays out.
- Likelihood: how probable the engine judges it is to happen or persist.
- Spend exposed: the share of your annual category spend this flags.
What changed
On October 2, 2026, results from the EU-funded Forest project demonstrated transport components incorporating over 50% sustainable materials by combining bio-based feedstocks and recycled carbon fibers. The project achieved weight reductions of up to 35% across automotive, aerospace, and bus applications without compromising performance or safety standards. Additionally, simplified tooling and increased process robustness reduced engineering costs by 15% to 20%.
Recommended actions
11
Evaluate recycled carbon fiber and bio-based resin options for interior and non-structural parts
Integrating validated biocomposites and recycled carbon fibers helps lower raw material costs while aligning with automotive sustainability targets.
Sources and references
2March 2026 The automotive composites market will grow from USD 12.18 billion in 2025 to USD 25.83 billion by 2034 (CAGR 10.76%). This report quantifies demand by fiber type (glass fiber largest; carbon fiber fastest; others), manufacturing process (compression molding-largest; RTM—fastest; injection molding), and application (exterior largest; interior rapid growth; others) across North America,