Nonwovens and Paper: The Sheet Materials of Tomorrow
A Vision from RWTH’s Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA)
In recent years, the sustainability of our products, processes, and associated supply chains has increasingly come into focus. Around the world, companies and researchers are seeking innovative solutions to develop materials that are both resource-efficient and environmentally friendly. Nature has long demonstrated how to create structures that are both durable and lightweight. The key lies in the use of fibers, which provide plants and other organic structures with high strength and flexibility through optimal force transmission.
We’ve only begun to tap into this potential. Today’s industrial materials typically contain just 10 percent fiber, leaving significant room for improvement. By increasing fiber content in modern materials, we can create products that are more efficient, lighter, and more sustainable.
Natural Fibers and Bio-Based Materials Take Center Stage
Natural and bio-based fibers are playing a pivotal role in the shift toward sustainable materials. Thanks to their low carbon footprint and renewable nature, they offer a promising foundation for environmentally friendly products. Fast-growing plants like flax, hemp, and jute absorb CO₂ as they grow and naturally biodegrade at the end of their lifecycle. However, natural fibers have a limited staple length, which poses challenges for conventional textile manufacturing processes that typically require intermediate steps such as yarn production. This is where nonwoven and paper-based technologies offer a major advantage: they allow for the direct conversion of short fibers into sheet materials – bypassing time-consuming intermediate steps.
Fiber Applications in Industry
There are already numerous examples of natural fibers replacing conventional composites and even metal components. In the automotive industry, for instance, flax fibers are used to produce lightweight yet durable door pillars and dashboard elements.
Similarly, the construction sector increasingly relies on hemp and flax-based insulation materials for their excellent thermal and acoustic properties – alongside their environmental benefits. One key to success lies in combining the property profiles of different natural materials and processing methods to develop products that are both functional and visually appealing. Especially in light of the need for resilient systems, increasing attention is being paid to locally sourced raw materials, such as byproducts from agriculture or the food industry.
Sustainability: Both Opportunity and Challenge
The challenges lie not only in processing natural fibers but also in developing sustainable matrix materials that bind them.
Many of the matrix materials currently in use are thermoplastic or thermoset, which makes recycling more difficult. In the future, natural substances such as lignin or starch, as well as synthetically produced compostable polymers, could take on this role.
It’s important not to rule out potential materials too quickly. Even solutions that may at first seem far-fetched, such as the use of fungal mycelium, deserve to be explored. Mycelium, the root-like network of fungi, grows rapidly, is biodegradable, and can serve as a natural binder in composite materials. These materials are lightweight, fire-resistant, and offer good insulation properties – ideal conditions for applications in the construction or packaging industries.
Natural fiber-based materials also have broad potential in interior design and furnishings. From furniture to textiles to decorative elements, they offer sustainable alternatives to conventional products.
In transportation, natural fibers are helping reduce the weight of vehicles, aircraft, and public transit systems. The leisure and sports industries are also embracing sustainable materials, incorporating them into products like surfboards and bicycles.
Despite growing demand for sustainable solutions, one of the biggest hurdles remains cost. Many consumers and manufacturers are hesitant to pay the premium often associated with sustainable materials. This is where policy interventions are crucial, such as tax incentives for sustainable production or penalties for environmentally harmful practices. Accurate sustainability metrics, such as carbon footprints, are essential to implementing such mechanisms. Several projects at ITA are exploring how to measure these indicators in real time during production and how to communicate them across the value chain, for instance through digital product passports.
RWTH’s Institut für Textiltechnik is a leading hub for the development of sustainable fiber-based materials and the digital technologies and interfaces that support them. With a wide range of laboratory and pilot-scale facilities, the institute offers rapid prototyping capabilities for new materials and products.
ITA support stakeholders across the entire textile value chain – from raw material suppliers to manufacturers and end users. As a trusted partner, it helps advance innovative materials and actively contributes to making sustainability a reality. In this way, nonwovens and paper are becoming more than just the surface materials of tomorrow – they are emerging as core components of sustainable, ecological, and economically viable construction materials.
– Authores: Christian Möbitz, Thomas Gries