A new research article in ATZ worldwide looks at making flexible polyurethane foams from sugarcane bagasse for car interiors and outdoor sports gear. The work comes out of Leibniz University Hannover and is part of a German-Queensland collaboration with industry partners including Grammer, Vaude, Licella, and Lextra. The project aims to replace conventional petroleum-based foams with a bio-based alternative using sugarcane residue. That matters for low-carbon manufacturing because bagasse is a byproduct, not a dedicated crop, so it does not necessarily compete with food production. The article is paywalled, but the abstract and author details confirm the supply chain focus. For anyone tracking bioeconomy and sustainable materials, this is a concrete example of trying to move bio-based plastics beyond niche applications. The next step would be lifecycle data and cost comparisons with standard polyurethane.
