BOOSTER

Biobased polyurethane foams with low environmental impact, for the seat cushion

In recent years, various strategies have been implemented to make cars more environmentally friendly. To reduce the overall footprint of cars, the plastic parts used should have a low environmental impact. For this reason, a team of researchers from various Italian universities has worked on the BOOSTER project: to demonstrate the feasibility of using biobased raw materials and bio-fillers, both derived from renewable resources, to prepare foams for car seat cushions, dashboards, and door panels. The biobased materials studied do not compete with food, thus ensuring the sustainability of the sources, and since they come from waste, no land previously designated for the food and feed market is diverted to their production, in accordance with European regulations for biobased products. Furthermore, the use of waste prevents it from being confined to landfills, giving it a second life. By the end of the project, it was demonstrated that these new sustainable foams have performance comparable to their fossil counterparts but with lower environmental impacts. Therefore, with equivalent performance, customers can select a renewable resource as their preferred material due to its higher sustainability profile.