COMPOlive is a renewable bio-composite manufacturing project, which has recently agreed to a partnership with Ford. In this partnership the companies will focus on sourcing and gathering waste from pruned olive trees and converting what they have collected into a new series of bio-composite fibers. This project will take place in Spain, in Andalusia.

The choice to focus on converting olive tree waste into fibers is an innovative idea, as it highlights how bio-composite materials, such as fibers, can be re-purposed for use within the automotive industry. At the same time, this project will highlight the idea of renewable manufacturing, in which renewable resources, in this instance, olive branch waste, do not have to be wasted, but can be made useful. This idea of renewable manufacturing is one of the key concepts behind COMPOlive’s renewable bio-composite manufacturing project. The final component that aligns with the idea of renewable materials within this project, is the benefits these kinds of materials contain, as they are durable lightweight materials. These benefits were depicted during the tests that were carried out during this collaboration on the bio-composite materials. These materials for the project were manufactured out of olive tree fibers and recycled plastics and the test results portrayed that the alternative and sustainable materials, provided the benefits of being lightweight, whilst also displaying effective durability, a quality that is necessary for use within the auto industry.

Having performed these tests and having seen these excellent results, the collaboration between Ford and COMPOlive, progressed to a new stage, in which the companies began to discuss the possibilities of using the bio-composite material to manufacture sustainable auto parts. The use of these materials in this way, would be hugely beneficial to the industry and it also has the potential to change how auto parts are manufactured currently, as soon auto parts could potentially be manufactured out of pruned olive tree waste. This idea and possibility may soon become a very popular and interesting option for all the auto companies who are interested in prioritizing environmental sustainability.

The process of including pruned olive tree waste in auto parts that the companies have researched and experimented with, would work through combining 40% olive tree fibers with 60% recycled polypropylene plastic. This mixture has been tested through being trialed in simulations and real cars and the results from these experiments have proved that the innovative materials are durable and do maintain a lighter weight when compared to how plastics perform. Therefore, the successful and promising results from this experiment, suggest that a large and sustainable change could be made within the auto industry very soon.