Faurecia wins German Innovation Award 2022

Faurecia, part of the world's leading automotive technology group FORVIA, has been recognized in this year's German Innovation Award in the "Excellence in Business-to-Business" competition category: Faurecia Interiors' sustainable composite materials NAFILean-R and rCF NFPP received the "Winner" award in the "Automotive Technologies" category. With their use of natural fibers, both materials set standards in recycling and contribute to weight reduction in vehicle interiors and thus to a reduced carbon footprint in automotive construction. The German Innovation Award honors innovative achievements that break new ground through their added value.

Faurecia is the market leader in sustainable vehicle interiors and has set itself the goal of reducing the CO₂ footprint of its materials by 87 percent by 2030. The portfolio of NAFILean and NFPP biocomposite materials, which are used for instrument panels, center consoles and door trim, for example, makes a decisive contribution to this objective. NAFILean-R is a fully recyclable composite material based on natural fibers (e.g. hemp). It consists of around 20 percent organic content in combination with a polypropylene matrix that is up to 100 percent recycled. This results in a weight reduction of up to 25 percent.

rCF NFPP (recycled Carbon Fiber Natural Fibers and Polypropylene) is a novel composite material consisting of 40 percent natural fibers, 50 percent polypropylene and 10 percent recycled carbon fibers. The combination with natural as well as recycled carbon fibers achieves a weight reduction that reduces the greenhouse potential by up to 50 percent.

Gherardo Corsini, Marketing Director Faurecia Interiors, said:

"We are proud of this award, as it confirms our success in shaping the future of mobility in a more sustainable way. The increasing demands of our customers for sustainable and recyclable materials encourage us to further intensify our research in this area. In the future, we will continue to focus our innovation expertise on further reducing the carbon footprint of the automotive industry."

The German Innovation Award honors cross-industry products and solutions that stand out above all for their user-centeredness and added value compared to solutions that have existed on the market to date. Faurecia received the German Innovation Award for the first time in 2018.