Origins & Innovation – What inspired the development of Bcomp’s flax-based composites, and how did the journey evolve from making lighter skis to large-scale industrial applications?
“Bcomp started in a garage with a simple mission: to make better and lighter skis. With PhDs in materials science from EPFL, we developed a way to use the lightweight yet high properties of flax fibres to reinforce the relatively fragile balsa wood for the use in ski cores. This led to the development of bCores™, our first bio-based material, which was soon adopted by major skiing brands like K2, Faction and Nordica.
Building on this success, we quickly realised flax had applications far beyond ski manufacturing. We started using flax to weave technical fabrics and developed reinforcement grids capable of replacing or minimising the need for traditional materials like plastic, glass or carbon fibre in composite panels. Through collaborations with industry leaders and tailoring our innovation, we industrialised and refined these bio-based materials into ampliTex™ technical fabrics and the powerRibs™ reinforcement grids. Today, these solutions are used in a huge variety of applications, from major races in motorsports and automotive interiors, to mass transportation and even infrastructure.
What began as a passion project has grown into a global cleantech company leading the shift towards sustainable, high-performance materials. Some of the biggest brands now use our materials to cut their carbon footprint, without compromising performance.”
Sustainability & Performance – How do Bcomp’s bio – based materials compare to conventional materials in terms of environmental impact and performance?
“Bcomp’s ampliTex™ and powerRibs™ composites offer a sustainable alternative to pure carbon or plastic parts, reducing CO2 footprint by up to 85% vs carbon, and plastic use by 70% when compared to injected plastic parts in car interiors. These materials also support circularity through viable end-of-life solutions, such as recycling into new base materials or energy recovery. Their environmental benefits vary depending on the specific application, but they consistently contribute to decarbonisation across some of the most traditionally polluting industries.
There’s also a common misconception that sustainability comes at the expense of performance. However, in many cases, our bio-based composites not only match but exceed the performance of traditional materials. ampliTex™ and powerRibs™ deliver the same lightweight performance and stiffness as carbon fibre parts, making them ideal for demanding applications in motorsports, automotive and transportation. In crash scenarios, their ductile fracture behaviour with blunt edges avoid sharp debris and splinters upon impact – a safety advantage that is crucial in high-stakes competitive environments like Formula 1.
Beyond safety benefits, these bio-based materials can enhance EV efficiency by reducing the weight by up to 50% of interior components which also contributes helping extend the battery life. In sports equipment, the user experience is also improved – all while being lightweight, scalable, and better for the planet. We’re not just substituting conventional materials; we’re redefining what’s possible for a more sustainable future.”
Scaling & Industry Adoption – What were the key challenges and milestones in scaling Bcomp from a startup to a global leader in sustainable materials?
“One of our biggest challenges in scaling from a start-up operating in the sports & leisure industry was convincing industries to move away from traditional materials they had relied on for decades. Change takes time, and transitioning to new materials often requires rethinking supply chains and manufacturing processes which is something many large companies are hesitant to do.
In industries with short product development cycles, such as motorsports, innovation has always been relatively fast. Therefore, these sectors have enabled a relatively fast uptake of our innovative materials. However, in industries with longer product development cycles, such as automotive manufacturing, progress has been slower. Integrating of our materials into their large-scale manufacturing process was challenging at first. But through close collaboration with automotive industry leaders like BMW M, Volvo, Polestar and CUPRA we have proven that bio-based materials can meet the toughest performance standards.
We realised early in our development that green credentials aren’t enough to drive adoption – our materials need to be objectively better than conventional materials. This focus on high-performance has enabled us to develop our natural fibre composites that aren’t just an alternative but an upgrade across industries: lighter, stiffer, safer, and scalable.
Scaling has required us to navigate preestablished supply chains for traditionally petroleum-based materials like plastic as well as glass and carbon fibre. While we’ve made significant progress in scaling our supply chain, industry incentives and regulatory changes – such as the European Commission’s potential classification of carbon fibre as a hazardous material under the end-of-life vehicles (ELV) Directive – would help close the gap between sustainable and traditional materials. This would support the elimination of the current premium on sustainability that OEMs are paying when trying to meet consumer demand for reduced climate impacts. We want to provide a commercially viable path away from the linear model of consumption towards more sustainable manufacturing, especially in the automotive sector.”
Collaboration & Partnerships – Bcomp works with major industry players like McLaren Racing, Volvo, and ESA -how have these partnerships shaped the company’s growth and innovation?
“Working with industry pioneers like McLaren Racing, Super Formula and the ESA has allowed us to test our materials in the most extreme conditions, pushing us to innovate and refine our composite solutions.
Meanwhile, working with major automotive brands like Volvo has showcased the scalability of our solution, directly impacting our growth. In fact, our Series B and C funding rounds in 2022 and 2024 were backed by investors like BMW i Ventures, Porsche Ventures, Volvo Cars Tech Fund and Airbus Ventures, demonstrating industry confidence in our high-performance, flax-based bio-composites. By working directly with the OEMs on bespoke, scalable solutions, we’re constantly learning from the best in the industry, ensuring our materials meet the rigorous demands of modern mobility.
Real-World Impact – Can you share a case study or example of how Bcomp’s materials have contributed to a significant sustainability achievement?
“One of our biggest disruptions came in motorsports, where we put an end to a 37 year long dominance of carbon fibre in racing bodywork with the introduction in 2018 of a sustainable alternative to carbon fibres. The full-natural fibre layup of powerRibs™ technology, a reinforcement grid inspired by leaf veins, with ampliTex™ technical fabric, can match the stiffness and weight of a monolithic carbon fibre part for motorsport bodywork and other thin-walled shell elements. By 2019 hundreds of cars were racing with ampliTex™ and powerRibs™ natural fibre bodywork in 16 racing series worldwide. The ductile fracture behaviour of our bio-based fabric improved safety, and reduced debris on track, crucial for racing, while delivering the same lightweight performance and stiffness of carbon fibre parts.
Since then, we’ve worked with motorsport giants like McLaren Racing for natural fibre F1 seat, Porsche Motorsport for full natural fibre bodykit on the Cayman 718 GT4 CS MR, and BMW M for the BMW M4 GT4 interior and exterior as well as developing materials alongside Tras for SUZUKI’s CN CHALLENGE racing motorbike. Our success has not only proven our place on the tracks but enabled us to transfer this technology from race to road, into the wider consumer automotive industry. Today, we develop Bcomp’s natural fibre composite solutions for vehicle interiors for brands like CUPRA, Polestar, and KIA.
In 2022, we achieved the stringent International Automotive Task Force (IATF) 16949 certification which certifies our access to the large-scale automotive market. This unlocked a whole new application for our materials, which is set to further redefine what is possible for sustainable material performance. New exciting collaborations are on the 2025 horizon for large-scale applications.
Looking Ahead – What do you see as the future of bio-based materials, and how does Bcomp plan to continue driving sustainability in high-performance industries?
“We envision a future where bio-based materials are integrated in every car, every airplane, and beyond. By constantly innovating, investing in industrial-scale production, and collaborating with key players across industries, we’re making that vision a reality.
Our goal is to lead the way into the circular age that takes nature into consideration, and prioritises the lifecycle of materials alongside their performance. For over a century, disposable, man-made materials have dominated manufacturing, making the 20th and 21st centuries the most disposable of human history. But as the urgency to cut carbon emissions and waste grows, we are there to help companies replace conventional materials for good with high-performance, flax-based alternatives that are lightweight, scalable, and sustainable.
We’ve proven that natural fibre composites can excel in a wide range of applications, from sports, motorsports and automotive, to boats and architectural cladding or modern design chairs. But we’re just getting started. As we continue to innovate and scale our impact, bio-based materials won’t just be high-performance – they’ll start being part of your everyday life!
